My Bloodied Piano Keys Are Your Lullaby
by Lady Island Rose
Summary: "I was young, so young. How could you do this? Why me? The piano keys are soaked in a now decadent scarlet. . . You made me a monster. I will destroy you." ZeroxOC - Cover Image by Jane Catt -
1. Monsters Are Real

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui.**

**This is a darker story, so I hope I can pull off eerie, scary, and suspense. Here it goes! **

**Editing Help: Jane Catt, Synk, and MidnightWolf697 (check out their stories, they rock.)**

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**1. Monsters Are Real**

"_I'm telling you mommy." a little girl squealed, clutching the blue quilt on her bed to her tiny body, "There is a monster in my closet. Its going to eat me." A woman in her late twenties with dark brown hair and kind blue eyes consoled her trembling five year old. "No there aren't sweetheart, monsters don't exist."_

"_Yes they do!" The little girl exclaimed, monochrome eyes brimming with tears, "It has scarlet eyes and wants my blood." the mother sighed and ruffled her daughter's chocolate brown hair, "Vampires don't exist sweetie. Now go to bed." the mother headed out, exhausted. The digital clock showed the time in a eerie bright red, 3:30 A.M. She'd had a long day at the office, and her daughter waking her up so early to talk about monsters was slightly frustrating. _

"_Mommy!" the girl cried in desperation, "Don't leave me!" _

"_Sukui!" exclaimed the women, her patience finally taxed, "There are no such thing as monsters! Now, go. To. Sleep." she finished with a hiss, leaving the room at last and letting the door behind her shut with a soft _whoosh!

_Sukui pulled the blanket even tighter, her knuckles white, eyes widening, and breath sporadic and choked with tears. The door just in front of her - the closet one - creaked open, and glowing scarlet eyes shone from the darkness at her. _

# # # #

Sukui jerked awake, heart racing, bones aching as she laid crammed inside - ironically - the closet of an abandoned cathedral. Now eighteen, she stood and stretched in the cramped space, slowly opening the door, a silver knife raised in defensiveness, just in case.

When she felt the coast was clear, she holstered the knife at her thigh, and straightened the knee-length, denim shorts she was wearing to hide it. "No blood-suckers today." she whispered to herself in relief, "Thank you world." Almost lethargically, Sukui strolled over to a shattered piece of mirror hanging on the wall.

She blinked at her short, dark brown hair and her one showing silver colored eye. She grabbed a make-shift comb, made from rusted nails and a sliver of wood, and brushed through her hair. Chuckling dryly, at the simple-ness of the moment. Of the false safety.

As the comb pulled her bangs back, they revealed her other eye, which should have been that sharp gray, but it was violet instead. Glowing with an unearthly light, the purple was dark, yet bright at the same time. A strange circle-like cross was centered at her pupil, and spanned her cheek and forehead with the solid dark purple, and tiny black daggers pointed in the space of the cross, like a tattoo.

Sukui let her hair fall, and cover the strange eye. For added measure, she strapped on a black eye patch. "I'm ready for the day." she said to herself, lacing up her faded blue ankle sneakers. She trekked forward in the old ministers room that she had been inhabiting for months, and looked through a giant hole that used to be a window. Down on somebody walking down the alley way beside the old church.

Sukui remembered back to the flashback dream she had, how afraid she had been that fateful day, and how she had tried to fruitlessly convince her mother that vampires were real as those bright and hungry eyes stared out at her from the closet.

There was no denying that fact, especially since her throat burned with the sight of the human, and her one eye gleamed the same blood red as the monster in her closet. Yes, monsters were very real, vampires were real.

And she was one of them.

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**Alright, so, I have been sitting on this for awhile. I love Vampire Knight, it is my **_**favorite **_**:D so writing this is going to be awesome. I already have major plot points down, so I'll just weave the build up as I go along.**

**Okay, so at first the VK characters will only show up briefly. They will gain a major hold in the story gradually (for as long as I need, they will be here officially after, at the most, chapter 10.) so that I can properly set my character into the story line.**

**The time this is set is in the anime, after Toga shows up. When Yuuki is learning about Zero's slow decent into a level E. This will be employed when Sukui becomes more involved with Cross Academy. I chose this part of the story for a reason, so I hope you will enjoy this! I know I am excited to write it! **

**Thanks for reading, now review please?**

**Don't forget to show the helpers some love and check out their stories too! :D**


	2. That Woman

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui.**

**I warn you, until this woman mentioned below is named, her name will be "that woman" for a long time. For sake of plot. Oh, and note, this is mostly anime with my twists in it, because I haven't read the manga, but maybe if I do I will add the twist of it in there too, you never know.**

**Enjoy!**

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**2. That Woman**

_As the closet door slid open, with an eerie creaking sound, five year old Sukui sobbed quietly, afraid of emanate doom. Out of the small room though, wasn't some scary Dracula with the cape, but a gentle looking woman._

"_Hello child."_

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As Sukui licked the blood off of her lips, and hid around the corner as the human regained consciousness, she remembered that woman. The woman who had been hiding in her closet, who changed her forever.

Changed her into a monster.

Sukui growled to herself, the red staying in her eyes more from anger than from hunger. That women was the reason she was an orphan, hiding in an abandoned place of faith. In the side alley way, she set herself on the ground, leaning her head against the cobblestone wall. That woman hadn't brought all bad things, she hated to admit.

That woman had also made Sukui become a hunter. Destroying those who had no humanity left, those who killed humans rather than fed from them. Level E they were called. Dangerous, truly inhumane monsters, extreme monsters. The gray and purple eyed girl pulled the silver knife out of its holster and looked it over, turning it in her hands.

It had the same symbol as the one over her eye etched onto it, and it said: "Crossing Silver Angel" the blade was a double edged dagger, at the hilt there was a woven picture of white wings. It was Sukui's weapon of choice, she had gotten it with the first hunters she had ever met when she was about ten years old.

Sheathing the dagger, she moved from the alley and continued into the main square of the little town. People bustled from place to place, paying no mind to the strange girl with an eye patch, in the blue and white stripped tank, denim shorts, and blue sneakers. She moved easily through the crowd, heading towards the library to see if she could find anymore information on that woman.

The searches through endless volumes of books were futile, and got her no where. But she tried and tried, motivated only by the fact that her situation could happen to more and more children if she sat down and let it. The preoccupied girl was so wrapped up in her own thoughts about it that she ran into someone. "Watch where you're going." grumbled an ornery teen with silver hair and purple eyes, he stalked off towards some castle-like buildings before Sukui could retort back. The girl was flabbergasted, was that. . .

Nah, it couldn't be.

Subconsciously, she reached up for her covered eye with a black knuckle-gloved hand.

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	3. Reasons

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui.**

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**3. Reasons**

"_Hello child."_

_The woman had hair as white as snow, and her red eyes softened to pink ones, the color of Sakura blossoms in spring. She wore a white kimono that had an obi with bells on it, she smiled at Sukui, with a strange gentleness._

_The little Sukui scooted as far away as possible, staring wide eyed in fear at the woman in front of her. "I am not going to hurt you." the woman said silkily, stepping lightly forward, "Would you like to know _why_ I am here?"_

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In the library, Sukui was surrounded with stacks and stacks of books. Flipping through the pages as casually, yet as quickly as she could muster. She had separate piles for both the surname, and the first name. Nothing on both. The heterochromatic eyes darted back and forth, looking for any sign of a clue.

Nothing.

Sukui was at first undeterred, because she had multiple reasons to take that woman down. For others, for herself, for safety, for closure.

For revenge.

She had heard though, when occasionally another vampire with humanity came along, that if you killed a pureblood, you could be in serious trouble with the Senate. Purebloods were the only ones who could multiply their race even further after all, and for another thing they had powers that grunts like her could never face alone.

The girl threw her hands up in the air with an agitated half-scream, half-groan and left the library, deciding she'd try and find some targets instead. Maybe a level E that needed to be taken care of was around somewhere. She just had to get away from the once again, utter failure to finding the woman.

The town she'd only been in a few times got her lost, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of a black wrought iron gate, the sign above it saying, "Cross Academy." and just below it in smaller font it said, "A private school."

Sukui stared at it curiously, and went forward to the gates slightly.

"Hello! Are you an new student?" a perky girl asked eagerly. Sukui whirled around, hand at dagger hilt. A brown eyed and haired girl in a black, white, and red intricate uniform blinked at her a few times, shocked at her reaction.

"Did I startle you?" she persisted, "I didn't mean too." she then smiled and introduced herself, "Hi! I'm Yuuki Cross. What's your name?" Sukui swallowed, not moving a finger away from her knife, "I'm Sukui. Sukui . . ." she paused for a bit, "Fiyohina."

The Yuuki girl blinked before smiling even wider, "It's very nice to meet you!" Sukui nodded slowly, "You as well, Yuuki." Sukui was still suspicious, because the girl didn't smell like a normal human. There was a weird edge to it that Sukui couldn't quite place.

Before she could think anything else of it, another girl in the same uniform with short dirty blond hair opened up the heavy metal gate and went up to Yuuki, "Hey, Headmaster's wondering where you are."

"Oh! That's right! I'm in charge of dinner!" exclaimed the brunette, "Thanks Yori! Bye Sukui!" Yuuki waved and ran back inside the giant school with the "Yori" girl by her side. Sukui merely stared at the sign naming the private school again.

There was something odd about it.

It reeked of vampires.

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	4. Why?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui.**

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**4. Why?**

_The woman's voice sent shivers rocketing up the little girl's spine. It was too sweet, too nice. It was like honey, sweet but extremely sticky. Sukui felt like she was being trapped in it._

"_What are you doing here?" squeaked little Sukui at last, sinking further into the covers. The woman smiled a pointed toothed smile. "To be your new mommy of course."_

"_Huh?" _

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The sky was dark, and Sukui had lost her way to the cathedral. She grumbled, complaining that she should have been able to see in the dark. Then again, she was far from the stereotypical vampire, she still slept at night and walked around during the day. She wondered if anyone else did that, or if she was just a freaky vampire.

A freaky freak?

Sukui was remembering back to that day as she continued to roam, more and more so every hour. She didn't know why, she had tried to repress it for so long. Maybe that was the reason it was coming back to haunt her, like a bad lunch.

Sukui still didn't understand why the white haired woman had decided to "adopt her" she had said it was for her lover, since she was incapable of having a child herself. At first she thought it was because she was a vampire, but vampires have kids so that was quickly disproved.

She still didn't understand, why her? Out of all of the children they could have chosen to take, in a city of 100,000, it had been her. Why?

Turning back into the square for what had to be the millionth time, for the third time that day, she had bumped into someone. "Oh I'm so sorry!" said a rather goofy sounding man, "I didn't see you there! Are you lost?" Sukui didn't know what to do, that man stared at her so intently with his brown eyes. Suddenly, she turned around brusquely, and ran as fast as she could away from him. Something about those eyes freaked her out to no end, and she did not like it. He smelled like a Hunter, and even though she wasn't level E, she couldn't take the chance.

Filled with a instantaneous and stronger resolve, she had to find that woman, and ask her why.

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	5. Abomination

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

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**5. Abomination**

"_Why do you need to be my new mommy?" the small Sukui asked, less afraid and more confused. The woman who still had yet to reveal her name continued to smile coldly, "Oh sweetie, your mom is dead." Sukui stared, unbelieving. "That wasn't a funny joke." Sukui said, "You should take it back now."_

_The woman shook her head, "Oh but its true." her eyes flashed for the briefest of seconds, it was hunger. Sukui's silver eyes glistened with tears, "You're lying!" she squeaked, "You are a liar!" _

_The woman's eyes softened mockingly, "I'll show you then. My love!" the woman called, and a tall, brown haired man in a blue kimono opened the door all the way, showing Sukui's mother._

_It was so gruesome, the gentle child threw up over the side of her bed. Her beautiful mother was laying in a pool of her own blood, her arm had been ripped off, and her eyes were open and glassy. Her mouth slightly parted, as if she had one last thing to say._

_As if reading her mind, the man smiled, "Oh yes, her last words were, 'Sorry Sukui. Sukui, we. . .' and I'm afraid that's it."_

_Sukui shook and shook, a cold, hard, and growing feeling spreading through her heart._

_Hatred._

# # # #

Sukui never did find the cathedral.

Instead, she woke up in a room unfamiliar to her, and it unnerved her. She was surrounded by girls and boys - clearly vampires by their sickly sweet scent - in white uniforms, the opposite of the Yuuki Cross girl's black uniform. Sukui slowly reached for her knife.

"Looking for this?" a semi-long brown haired and eyed man questioned, holding the holster, the dagger inside. The girl on the ground growled, not only from the lack of knife, but from the grabby man with the cool voice. He reeked of pureblood.

"Kaname-sama," a blond, cerulean eyed boy started, "What is she even doing here? She's. . ." The man who must have been Kaname merely gazed at the blond until he stopped speaking and turned to Sukui, "You are eighteen, and I found you in a dumpster in town this morning, why aren't you with your parents? Or your place of residence?" he asked coolly.

Sukui fumbled for some sort of excuse. Kaname treaded on, "Your hair is greasy, your clothes are dirty, and you appear way too skinny for your age. Are you homeless?" Sukui bared her fangs out of impulse, "Why do you care, pureblood _filth_." at that, everyone gasped, "I simply like to be alone." she ended. Kaname stared down on her, not buying it for a millisecond.

"I know what you are, and I am offering you a place of residence. Us vampires have to stay together." Kaname drawled, and of course the blond popped in again. "But Kaname-sama. . . She's not even an aristocrat or. . ." the pureblood leader stopped him once again, with just a look. "Nice to know your kind is chained up." Sukui scoffed, causing one ashen haired female to snarl at her, but of course, Kaname stopped her.

"I am waiting for your answer."

Sukui laughed, cold and hard, "I'd rather rot then be with you _creatures_." Everybody, but three, snarled at the vampire-vampire hunter.

Then the pureblood tossed Sukui the anti-vampire weapon, shocking her. "If you aren't in need of a home, then go ahead and leave." Sukui stood up slowly, and re-holstered the blade to her leg. "Thank you."

"but she is homele. . ."

"Hanabusa." began an orange haired, deep voiced vampire, "Don't speak again."

"Alright. . ."

Gradually, Sukui left the strange place, entering a school yard that she had seen through a gate merely the day before. "Cross Academy." she whispered to herself, "Everything seems to lead back here. . ."

"Before you leave."

Sukui whipped back around, holding the shining dagger to Kaname's throat. He didn't flinch, didn't even bat an eyelash at her, and finished.

"The information you have been searching for is here, Sukui Minami."

Sukui's eyes flashed, the light inside quivering. How had he known? Her name, what she needed. "How do you know what I need, abomination?" she asked firmly, voice shaking at the end.

"You are one of us too." he deadpanned, "Just think about what I have told you."

Pushing the hand with the knife pressed to his skin away, Kaname turned around and re-entered the sectioned off dorm area of the private school.

Sukui stood there, heart pounding.

"Information. . . On _her_."

# # # #

**I already know that by now, you know who the mystery woman is. This is for those of you who do: I am sorry if her lover had a name, I don't remember it if he did. I just sorta remember what he looked like.**

**To those of you who don't know, just keep reading, and you'll find out soon enough.**


	6. Pureblood Puppy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

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**6. Pureblood Puppy**

_The man had the decency, after several minutes of the newly made corpse rotting just in Sukui's view, shut the door. Sukui sobbed and sobbed, until no tears would come, and her throat was clogged. The woman and man sat next to each other on the bed, "Aoishi dear, will you stand outside?" she asked._

"_Yes love." he responded, standing up and leaving the room._

_Sukui was absolutely frozen, she had no idea what she was going to do. She was surrounded by monsters. Monsters had killed her mother, had they killed her father too? Her father had disappeared long before she was born, maybe that's what happened._

_Sukui was almost going to shock, how could her mom be dead? How? _

"_Now, my child." she whispered, leaning in towards her neck, "You will truly be mine." _

_The little girl's eyes widened as the woman's teeth sank into her neck. A burning sensation pulsated through her, and she felt life draining, as she realized in horror, that the woman was drinking. _

_The monsters were getting her too. What did the monsters want with her family, what? She thought of these things as she gradually got weaker. Her fingers were losing feeling, and the sound became distant. _

_Black dots blurred her vision, and suddenly, the woman loomed over her, "I took to much blood. . ." just before darkness engulfed Sukui's eyes, the pink-eyed woman bit her own wrist, and put it to the little girl's mouth._

# # # #

Sukui had finally managed to make it back to the cathedral.

She sat down heavily on one of the rotting pews and put her head in her hands, thinking hard. How was she going to get into that school? She was too prideful to go back to the Kaname guy, and she didn't know where Yuuki would be, or even if she could get the heterochromatic girl in.

The silver haired teen was an automatic out as she did not even know if he went there, or why he looked like a walking ghost. The other man she had met didn't even give her a name, well he couldn't have, she had ran as far away as possible. He probably hadn't had any ties to the school anyways. Sukui Minami was pissed and all out of ideas.

So she got up and headed back to town, hopefully to find someone who could help her.

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	7. An Eye For An Eye

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

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**7. An Eye For An Eye**

"_Make sure you cover up the scent trail while Aoishi and I go hunting."_

"_Yes mother dearest."_

"_Be sure not to hunt anyone over your age."_

"_Yes mother dearest."_

_Sukui had been with "Mother dearest" and "Father" for a few months. Long enough to realize that underneath the love Aoishi supposedly showed to "mother" there was a certain darkness, as if he didn't like her at all and he was acting like he was. Sukui figured the man had been dragged into a similar situation with the female vampire, and felt herself trust him more._

"_We'll be back soon." Aoishi waved behind him, and Sukui waved goodbye. The woman blew a kiss, which the gray eyed girl returned with the same gesture, but turned around with a disgusted face. She hated that woman. Hated her._

"_I think they are gone Master."_

"_Then let's head in!"_

_The two voices scared Sukui, and, in the abandoned barn she was currently housing in, she dove behind a pile of hay bales, filled with fear. It was enough that she had "Mommy" to deal with, she didn't want another group of demons to take her away. _

"_Come out, little vampire, come out."_

"_Master what are you doing!" _

"_Hush, this girl we are searching for is from a Hunters clan, and its important we get her out of here without Shizuka knowing."_

"_Why?"_

_As the voices got closer, Sukui squirmed further away._

"_We don't have time to talk about this Zero." _

"_Little vampire?"_

_The deep voice slightly echoed through the barn, and Sukui bit into her hand to keep from whimpering. She was so scared, all over again. The man loomed just over her. He had two beautiful silvery blue eyes, dark, wavy brown hair and a gun in one hand. "Come out, I will not hurt you."_

_Sukui bolted, dodging past the guy, heading to the back doors. The younger vampire hunter slowly raised a small black gun, his hands shaking. "D-don't run." he weakly commanded, "We are h-here to help." Of course Sukui found it hard to believe when he had a gun pointed at her. Unfortunately to further irritate the situation, the small silver haired, purple eyed boy's gun misfired, hitting Sukui directly in the eye. "Zero!" the man yelled. The boy called Zero was frightened beyond all hope of freedom, "I'm so sorry!"_

_Sukui felt a jolt rip through her body, and blood fell freely, streaking down her face. She fell down, and wondered, how on Earth she wasn't dead. _

_The older man limbered up to Sukui Minami, who held her right eye in one little hand. Blood was soaking into her hair, and she grimaced in pain. "Why aren't you dead. . ." he trailed off, and removed the girls hand and pushed back her hair, shocked at what he saw._

_Where the bullet had hit, the cross burned purple into her skin, and her eye turned a dark shade of purple, a glow showing through. The blood was turning white, and healing the wound, leaving the mark and the altered eye to remain._

# # # #

"_I am sorry Zero here shot you in the eye."_

"_Master that's not fair! It was an accident!"_

_Toga Yagari, the girl had found out, and his apprentice Zero Kiryu, were vampire hunters. "I'll get an eye defect too, just to make it even." Toga said seriously, Zero freaking out in the back ground._

"_He asked me to find you." Toga grunted as he finished the menial task of wiping the left over blood from the young girl's face, "Your father is a good friend of mine. So I'll be watching you from now on."_

"_But Toga," Sukui interrupted, "Why can't I be with my daddy?"_

"_It's a rather complicated situation. . ."_

"_Why?"_

_Toga brusquely changed the subject, "Now about you coming with us."_

"_What if mother comes and gets you guys. . ."_

_Yagari raised his hand to stop her, "Zero's parents sent her running, killed her lover who was on the Level E's list. We'll get her too soon as the Association allows." Sukui blinked at him a few times before he sighed, "You had no idea what I just said?"_

"_After the first sentence, no."_

_Yagari awkwardly, and with much hesitation, ruffled the little girl's hair, "Well! I have a vampire to burn, Zero here will entertain you." he rushed, leaving. Sukui laughed a little, "He acts like he's never been around a little girl before." Sukui then looked at the quiet boy who sat beside her, and he nodded and tried for a gentle smile. Sukui smiled back._

_Between to five year olds, the air at first was silent, and then Zero said, "What's your name?"_

_Sukui didn't bother telling him that he should have heard it before, he was too kind about it. "Sukui . . . Sukui Minami. You?" Zero smiled once again, softly, "Zero Kiryu." _

"_Its nice to meet you." Sukui responded. She couldn't believe how great it felt to be around kids her age. Such a nice one too. _

"_Sorry I shot you in the eye. . ." Zero apologized after the silence almost returned. Sukui sighed with the weight of an adult on her shoulders, "Its okay. . ." she responded simply, "I am a _vampire_." she spat, to much hate in her voice to be appropriate. Zero blinked at her, and sympathy shone in his eyes. _

"_I'm sorry that your mom got taken away from you. . . And that apparently, your dad doesn't wanna see you." he kept the conversation going, "I can't imagine what I would do if that happened to me." Sukui nodded, "I really don't know what to do myself."_

_Zero scooted closer, and said, "You know, that's why I'm a hunter. So I can stop things like this from happening." Sukui nodded, and then silence finally managed to take over again. Then, it dawned on the young Minami. "Hey, do you think I could be a hunter too?"_

_Zero looked at her almost incredulously, "A vampire-vampire hunter?"_

_Sukui nodded._

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**Okay for the next few chapters, there will be nothing but flashbacks. I hope Zero is in character. There aren't much little kid clips of him in the show, so I did the best I could and researched a bit. From what I've seen, he's soft as a child, because his parents haven't been murdered yet and he hasn't had the nurse scratch Yagari's eye.**

**I also did the same thing with Yagari sort of, hope it turned out good!**

**Well, review please! **


	8. Hunters Association

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Hopefully this is an accurate enough portrayal of what would happen, I've spent many a night on this chapter! Tell me what you think after if you would, I am always looking for tips if needed!**

**Enjoy!**

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**8. Hunters Association**

_After Toga finished disposing of Aoishi with Zero's parents, he came back to the two kids. "Alright. . ." he stopped before continuing, "Why do you both look so conspiratorial?" The five year olds just blinked, and Yagari sighed, explaining, "It means to plot secretly."_

"_We aren't planning against you Toga." Sukui smiled, "I want to be a hunter."_

_Toga rose a thick eyebrow, "A vampire, vampire hunter?" _

_Zero smiled, "That's what I said." Toga ignored that comment and kept looking down on Sukui. The young girl turned vampire nodded slowly, "Yeah. If Zero can do it, I can too. Plus, I don't want kids to be without mommy's and daddy's. . ."_

"_Sukui, I'm afraid its not that simple." Toga sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I don't know. You'd have to be chosen by a anti-vampire weapon, and get approved by the Hunters Association. You are new after all." _

"_If its not to much trouble, I'd like too. Please."_

_Toga Yagari continued to stare at the young girl, and that aforementioned girl and she was afraid beyond all hope of being told no, she was afraid of what she was doing. She didn't _know _what she was doing._

_Finally, Yagari sighed, "Alright. I'll give it a shot kid." Sukui's different colored eyes lit up, "Thank you!" Zero gave Sukui a high-five, "We can be hunting partners with my brother!"_

_Sukui rose an eyebrow, "You have a brother?"_

_Zero nodded, "We're twins! He looks just like me!" Sukui clapped her hands together, excited by the possibility of more friends. Maybe she could forget about "mommy"_

# # # #

"_Come this way."_

_A man in a black suit lead Toga, Zero, and Sukui down a cobblestone road. People all around them stared, and Sukui found herself standing close to Zero, who tried to reassure her, "Don't worry! They won't hurt you if your with us." as they turned a corner on the busy street, people eyeing the young girl practically latched to Kiryu, he added: "This is just a town of hunters, so don't take all the staring personally."_

"_O-okay."_

_Finally, the three plus the man entered a giant stone building. In the first room was a long hallway filled with pillars. It was all made from gray stone. "This is the Hunters Association." Zero whispered, "Where all of the information is, and the Hunter's even sometimes stay here. We are going to meet the president."_

_Sukui wasn't convinced, as a woman with purple-ish gray long hair, olive green eyes, and pale skin strode up to the three of them. "Hello there." she greeted in an odd sounding voice, "I am the president of the Hunters Association." Sukui jumped as the woman kneeled in front of her, a fan over her mouth, extending her hand, "You must be Sukui Minami?"_

_The little girl nodded, taking the presidents hand. She shook it lightly and the President didn't let go, staring into Sukui's eyes. "You are a vampire, yes?"_

"_How did you know?" Sukui whispered, cowering slightly next to Zero. The president smiled and let out a light laugh, "The moment you were changed, news traveled fast little one, also, a hunter isn't a good one if they can't tell a vampire when they see one." - at that the young Minami nodded in agreement - "I assume also, that you wish to be a hunter?"_

_Sukui turned to Yagari only and said aloud, "This lady is freaking me out. She knows too much about me." The president merely chuckled, and continued forward, simply saying, "Follow me."_

_The little girl kept staring at the tall man to the other side of Zero, "How does she know this much? Who I am, what I am, and that I want to become a hunter? That's scary. Nobody should know that much. . ." Toga just replied calmly, saying, "The Hunter's Association has ties everywhere."_

"_Do you think she'd know about my dad? And why that lady killed my mommy?" Sukui whispered, just loud enough for Yagari's ears to hear it. "Yes." he answered simply. Sukui tried to get more out of him, but they had stopped walking and she lost the nerve. _

_Sukui chewed her lip and looked forward as the man that had been leading them before opened the door to a small room with pillows on the floor. They all sat; the president in front, and Toga, Zero, and Sukui side by side near the door._

"_Sukui Minami, normally we would not allow an outsider into the Hunters, regardless of your family, you've had to have been trained from practically birth. . .But considering the circumstances, that can be overlooked." The President eyed the little girl, "Though, I need you to assure me that although you will most likely be looked down upon by other Hunters, you can handle it."_

"_I think I can." she casually replied, "I didn't exactly ask for this, so I won't let anyone treat me like I did." Toga glanced at the serious little girl from the corner of his eye, and Zero was just quiet. The president nodded slowly and then said finally, "Well Sukui, in a few more years we will give you your special anti-vampire weapon, for now, you will be using a starter with Kiryu-kun here as well."_

_Toga thanked the President, and discussed some things that Zero and Sukui were both yet _

_to understand before the three left to their next destination. _

_# # # # _

**Next up will be some Sukui will meet Zero's family and train to be a Hunter! Then Chapter 10 will be when Sukui gets into Cross. :D then the major plot will finally roll. **

**Review please :D**


	9. Massacre

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Hey, this is the chapter I supposed we decide if its M or T rated! When you review, be sure to let me know what you think so that it can be properly rated and undeceiving ^.^**

_**WARNING: This chapter is going to be LONG for the sake of detail.**_

# # # #

**9. Massacre**

"_Where are we going now?" Sukui questioned sometime afterwards, striding in between Yagari and Zero as they headed down a path. They had just left the Hunters Association a few days ago, and had passed through several small towns to get to this winding road._

_Zero smiled, "We are going to my house, you'll get to see my parents! And my brother, Ichiru!" the girl smiled, "Sweet! I bet they are awesome!" Toga rolled his silvery blue eyes, "We will also be doing some basic training to teach you the ropes, Minami." _

_Sukui bobbed her head, "Sounds good! I wanna learn as soon as possible."_

_Down the aforementioned dirt path, a large wooden cabin-mansion looking house loomed in front of the trio. Sukui's eyes lit up and she gaped in awe, "This is your house?" Zero nodded, "Yeah! Pretty big huh!"_

_Toga led them to the door and knocked briefly, it opened slowly to a tall, slender woman with light brown hair and soft brown eyes, "Hello Toga!" she beamed, and then looked down on her son, "Zero." she scooped him up and gave him a giant kiss on his forehead, "I missed you!"_

"_Mom you're sorta crushing me." Zero squeaked, even though he was smiling so wide it looked like his face would rip in half. Zero's mother set him down and then turned her thousand watt smile on Sukui, "Hello there, my name is Nikki. Nikki Kiryu." Sukui took into account her name, it meant sunshine, and one could certainly see that in the woman's smile._

"_I'm Sukui. Sukui Minami."_

_Nikki smiled down on her, "Nice to meet you, welcome!" Nikki beckoned them all inside, and as Toga shut the door behind them, a tall man with silver hair like Zero's, and an exact clone of Zero busted into the room, Sukui realized that the smaller one must have been Ichiru. Ichiru attacked aforementioned Zero and hugged him, going on and on about how much he missed him._

"_Toga," the man who had come into the room shook Toga's hand, looking like carbon copy of Zero and Ichiru, and Toga greeted him back the same way, "Ryuu. Good to see you." Sukui stared at the exchanges of affection in mild wonder, as if she's never experienced it herself before. _

"_Sukui!" Zero piped, tugging on the girl's sleeve and turning her attention to him and his twin brother, "This is Ichiru! Ichiru, this is Sukui, the girl Master and I were sent to save!"_

_Ichiru smiled soft and nodded politely, "Hello Sukui, its very nice to meet you." The small Minami bobbed her head, "Its nice to meet you too!" Ryuu, Nikki, and Ichiru finished exchanging hello's and first meetings with the returned trio, and then Nikki finally interrupted, "You guys must be hungry! I'll make you some lunch."_

_Nikki then left the group to their own musings. Toga and Ryuu talked seriously about things that the trio of kids, who were currently chasing each other around the house, still didn't understand. _

# # # #

_Three days after settling in, the first thing Toga did was wake Zero, Ichiru, and Sukui with a very loud, and aggressive Kaito Takamiya._

"_GET UP ITS TIME TO TRAIN!"_

_Sukui squealed, and jumped up from her sleeping position in a teal armchair in the corner of the twins room. She glared evenly at the brown haired, garnet eyed boy, "There's a nicer way to wake people up you know." she sniffled, getting up and walking over to him._

"_Yeah? Well I don't think you deserve it, vampire." Kaito was eleven, so he towered over the orphaned girl and smirked. "I have a name, its Sukui! Sukui Minami!" the girl pressed, folding her arms. "My names Kaito, Kaito Takamiya. GET UP ZERO AND ICHIRU! YOU ARE NOT EXCUSED FROM THIS!"_

_Zero and Ichiru slid off the bed in unison, "Okay, we're ready to go Master!" Ichiru piped up, and Zero nodded, "Let's teach Sukui how its done!" The trio followed Kaito and Toga out the backyard, where there were several trees and a pond. _

"_You guys sure have a lot of room." Sukui commented, and Ichiru and Zero nodded, "Yeah! Plenty of room to play in." Ichiru inquired softly, and to that Kaito scoffed loudly, "If you can avoid breaking anything!" _

_Toga rolled his eyes, "Alright Kaito, that's enough. Sukui, come right next to me." Sukui did as she was told, looking up at the experienced hunter. "Now, I want you to tell me, what are vampires weaknesses?" Sukui blinked a few times, slowly seeping into confusion. "Umm. . . Anti-vampire weapons?" she cringed, one eye closed. _

_Yagari nodded approvingly, "Yes, it was a simple question, with that simple answer. Now, you cannot kill a Level E if you do not have an anti-vampire weapon, or some form of aristocratic vampire power but that doesn't apply to you, so I will be giving you this training dagger, so that you can practice having one an anti-one." Toga then pulled a blade from his coat pocket, and held the hilt out for the mini-Minami to take._

_Gingerly, she took the blade, and the holster that Yagari tied brusquely about her waist. "Don't lose it, because from now on you'll be needing it."_

_Sukui nodded, and listen to Toga's further instruction. Eventually, he even pulled out targets, and had Sukui throw the knife at them. "You need to aim for the bullseye, imagine it's the bad vampires heart, you want that vampire dead." Kaito put in, kneeling next to her, "Now throw!"_

"_Hey!" Nikki Kiryu beamed, opening the backdoor with a plate full of cookies, "I wanted to see how training was going?" Sukui threw the knife, over the target and into the tree behind. "Not so good." Ichiru commented as nice as possible, "She's missed almost every time."_

_Sukui kicked at a patch of grass, "Dang it." she mumbled. _

_Yagari was putting the stuff away, and giving the dagger that had he yanked from the tree to the girl while saying, "It's your first session, you aren't meant to grasp it right away." Though Sukui was reluctant, she agreed with his words._

_The kids then all went up and had one of the cookies, and Sukui felt all nice again, since meeting Toga and Zero, the awful months with "mommy" were easier to push aside. The Kiryu's were a nice family, and she was glad to be a part of it in a way._

_Zero smiled at her as she chewed her chocolate chip cookie, and she smiled back. When she realized she had chocolate all over her teeth she blushed, Zero just laughed. _

_And things were turning out well. . . Right?_

# # # #

_Along with training, her new "family"/friends, Sukui attended elementary school again with the twins. It was strange for her, even though she had only been gone a few months, so many sights and sounds and smells now that she was different affected her, and she was picked on for her eyes. Well she always had been, not many people had chrome colored eyes._

"_Weird first grader with the freaky eyes!" A fourth grade boy with black hair smiled, "I see you're with the Kiryu's! Hope you don't catch their crazy!" Sukui donned her first eye patch that day, just to get people to leave her alone. But she had to ask the boy before hand, "Why do you think they are crazy?" the boy scoffed, "Rumor is they believe in vampires! Psh, vampires don't exist!" _

_Much to Sukui's awe at that, outside of the Hunter and vampire realm there were people who knew absolutely nothing. She could understand, because her mom hadn't believed her, but in that part of Japan, she figured that they all new. It was pretty far away from where she'd been before. _

"_They live their lives in the bliss of ignorance everywhere Suks." Kaito had told her, when he'd walked to school with her and the twins that first day, "Lucky jerks."_

_The weeks dwindled by, and Sukui's "mommy" was never present, almost like she had never been in the first place. Toga trained her everyday with Zero and Kaito, but he'd stopped with Ichiru, who had for the reason of his illness given up on being a hunter. "He thinks he's weak." was all that Toga had said on that matter, but he had looked a bit guiltily away. _

_Yagari, Sukui found out after about a month of school, was engaged to the pretty school nurse, who of course she'd met the first day. _

"_Did that mean fourth grader shove you?" she'd asked, noticing the bloody knee as Minami had been returning to her class, and obviously having had some knowledge of the exchange that day. "It's nothing!" Sukui had said, which was true because it would heal soon anyway, but the woman didn't know of course and patched her up. She was gentle and kind, with ashy brown hair and deep eyes, she kind of looked like Kaito in that aspect._

"_She's nice." Sukui had said, after spotting the pair sharing a brief kiss when Toga picked them up after being back from a mission, "Too nice for you, you grumpy old bear!" Toga scoffed good naturedly, and boxed one of Sukui's ears. "Brat." he scolded._

_One day though, two months in, something bad happened._

"_Where are Zero and Ichiru?" Sukui asked herself, while roaming the halls at the end of the day. Finally, she pushed through the nurses door, to find the twins sitting on the bed, eyes widened with slight fear._

_Sukui instinctively grabbed for her little dagger, "Almost-Yagari-san?" Minami shook, "What's wrong?" aforementioned woman whirled around, eyes blazing red. She licked her lips, "Hello Sukui, mind joining the boys on the cot?" Minami was frozen, Almost-Yagari-san reeked of bad vampire._

"_Sukui, Zero, Ichiru, get back!" Toga called just in the door way, he took out his shot gun from his jacket. Zero refused, "No Master, she's. . ."_

_And _that's _when it all went wrong._

_Everything happened so fast, first the nurse had tried to hurt Zero, and then suddenly Toga was there. There was a harsh ripping sound, and red soaked everything, as a sharp __**bang! **__brought more blood, and Toga covered his eye. _

_Sukui was panting, the blood, the redness that covered everything. The macabre. She just wanted to roll in it, like it was chocolate or something. She was getting sick, her very own thoughts disgusting her, holding a hand to her mouth as she felt the burn start in her throat and the buzz in her eyes as she new they were turning the color of the stains strewn on the floor and cot of the nurse's office. _I am a monster. _she thought with a pang. _

"_Let's head to the Kiryu place, NOW." Toga commanded tonelessly, and Sukui was out of there faster than he could breath another word._

# # # #

_Sukui and Zero's training intensified to the level of Kaito's after that, and Zero began to close off a little bit of his heart. It made Sukui upset, considering that she considered Zero her closest friend, but she understood. She herself had become a little colder, after what the woman had done to her, and after what happened with Toga's fiancée._

_The months went by, they turned to years, and Sukui at the age of ten, received her anti-vampire weapon. "Crossing Silver Angel huh?" the president had asked, "What was the inspiration for this?" Sukui deadpanned her answer, as she left with Yagari, Zero, and Kaito. "Where there is hell like Level E's and vamps like me, there is heaven for the hunters, right?"_

_Missions were undertaken, and for the most part, Sukui was happy. Except for the constant, nagging nightmares of that woman, that had at first not been an issue. Her happy pink colored eyes, with Sukui's mother lying dead and mutilated within the gaze were a common sight. "I want her to be my first big kill." she told Zero, at age twelve, "As soon as she goes up on the Level E list, she's mine."_

_And for the most part, everything was silent. Nothing outstanding, but of course, that always ends._

"_Hey Zero, who's that?" _

_The two twins had been walking with alone down the road to the road to their house, Sukui was there already, practicing piano with their mother to be "more of a lady" so the twins had walked home by themselves, trading idle conversation._

_Zero turned to his brother, and looked to what he was pointing out. A woman with flowing white hair and cherry blossom eyes, she was crying, sitting in a tree. Her snow colored kimono flapped in the wind, the bells tinkled with each flit of the breeze. "She's a vampire." Zero replied almost instantly, "Stay away from her." Zero stared at her warily for a while, before taking Ichiru's hand and tugging him along home. _

_Ichiru complied, but stared back at her until she disappeared behind the trees. Zero kept a straight line of sight on the path ahead. He knew that woman, she was on the Execution List his father had, the picture by her name matched her perfectly. _

_Shizuka Hio. _

# # # #

"_This soup will be great, Sukui! Mom!" Zero smiled heartily a few days later, as he stabbed at the tomato in the center and stuck it into his mouth. It took him five seconds to spit it back into the bowl, "Hot! Hot hot!" he panted. Ichiru laughed and Sukui giggled, "Duh Zero, you saw us just barely take it off the blaze!"_

_Zero stuck his tongue out at the female vampire-vampire-hunter, an unlikely act that left everyone at the table laughing. "I wish Toga could taste this." Sukui complained, "I could prove I'm good at something!" Nikki ruffled fourteen year old Sukui's brown curling tresses, "I'm sure your shot is improving."_

"_Yeah, she can actually hit the white this time!"_

"_Shut up Zero!"_

_They laughed and had fun, like they hadn't a care in the world. Though of course that wasn't true, the Kiryu's parents had to leave on a mission to kill Shizuka Hio, a pureblood gone rogue, that next day. Plus, since the trio were old enough to take care of themselves, they'd be alone at the house._

"_I wish I could just go on missions solo, like Kaito." Sukui had commented._

_As the meal dispersed, Ichiru went to some friends house for freshman homework, and Sukui went with Nikki into a big living room, a sleek black baby grand sitting perfectly in its center. Zero was there too, cleaning his Bloody Rose. "Psh, you treasure that thing like its your child." Sukui joked, earning a lilac eyed glare. "Oh shut up Sukui." he joked._

_Nikki had to pointedly, but playfully, turn Sukui's attention back to her music lesson. "Let's work on the scales I taught you." Nikki said, and Sukui did. Zero listened with his eyes closed as if gradually turned to a song. An hour past, before Nikki suddenly tensed up, her head cocked towards the entry hallway. There was a light rapping on the door, and a twinkle of a bell._

_Sukui had the smell in her nose, and she let out a strangled cry._

"_Its. . . Its. . ." the Minami shook with fear, "Its her! Its her! She's found me!" her heart was thundering in her chest, and all of her nightmares came to surface. She was losing composure. _

_Nikki headed towards the door way, Ryuu coming to her side from the kitchen. "Not if we have anything to say about it." Sukui took out her dagger, and stood, although every muscle in her protested. It'd been nine years since that day, and it was almost like she was reliving it._

"_She'll kill you! You don't stand a chance!" For whatever reason, Sukui was completely surrounded by fear, for the first time in awhile. Zero stood beside her, Bloody Rose drawn. "It'll be alright." he tried to comfort her, "You know mom and dad are good hunters." Down the hallway, Nikki and Ryuu disappeared out of sight, and Sukui stood frozen with her anti-vampire weapon in her white-knuckle grip._

_Gunshots, grunts, yells, and ripping sounds ensued, it was like time was on fast forward again, like the day Toga had to kill him fiancée. While Sukui was stuck in some kind of rift, as if she hadn't been trained at all. Then, the bodies, they were hurtled into the room, crashing into the piano. The keys were soaked in the decadent scarlet that Sukui so disdained, she felt her eyes burn again, with hunger and tears. _

"_Daughter, its been awhile."_

_The woman's cold voice took hold of her, as the white ghost of her came into the room. Sukui became panicked, Zero and Ichiru's parents were at her feet, this was all her fault. Zero was stoic, gun shaking in his hands. "Zero I'm so sorry. . ." Sukui cried, shaking harder. The woman just continued to smile, "Oh? I see you've made friends with the people who murdered my lover!"_

_Her eyes flashed crimson briefly, before Sukui protested. "Zero didn't kill her! And even then, Aoishi was dangerous!" the weak defense only fueled the angered purebloods fire, "Don't you dare speak his name! It's time I punished you!" and she lunged at the teenage Minami. Instinctively, the girl crossed her arms in front of her, but instead of feeling teeth or claws or whatever sink into her, she felt Zero fall lightly against her instead. _

_There was a slash across his chest, and he was bleeding very badly. "Zero!" she reached out, intending to help them, then the smell wafted up. Tickling her nose. "So much blood. . ." Sukui choked, her eyes going red, she desperately fought her vampire side. "Hard to resist isn't it?" the woman sneered, "Give in and bite him." Sukui's eyes widened, "No! No no!" she'd never bitten anyone before, never had any blood, she wasn't going to bite Zero. She hadn't needed too. Toga would get her blood tablets from missions, she didn't want to drink from anyone. _

_She couldn't bite Zero, he was her friend, like her brother. "Bite him or I will!" she threatened, and Sukui sank next to Zero in despair, trying weakly to protect him. "You'll have to go through me first!" her voice was quaking as much as her body was, as she crouched in front of Zero with her dagger. "I'm so weak." she whispered disgustedly to herself, each word was spit out like a curse. _

_He hadn't said a word since he saw his parents bodies tossed to the floor, so it shocked her when he said. "Sukui, no, she'll kill you!" Sukui was alarmed, he wasn't mad? He didn't want her dead? Maybe he was just taking pity on her, he was a hunter after all, and hunter's protected. Zero himself especially._

"_Oh how adorable! Reminds me of your reaction when your dear sweet mother was dead in the hallway." Sukui fought back tears, so much for heading towards being a cold hunter, she was crumbling her very first encounter with the woman. "I'll make you pay for that!" Sukui screeched. _

"_Certainly not today, now get out of my way." the woman moved fast, batting Sukui aside like she was some kind of fly, and closed in on Zero. "Hope you don't mind, I need a quick pick me up." she smiled malevolently, and bit into Zero's neck. _

_From her dazed, spotted vision Sukui heard an echoing "Noo!" that had no doubt come from her very own mouth. As Sukui slowly faded from consciousness, she watched her closest friend scream in pain, and die. . ._

# # # #

"I finally found the place."

After hours of searching, and strolling down memory lane, Sukui Minami, age eighteen, skilled hunter and vampire stood in front of the black wrought iron gates of Cross Academy, the private school.

"It's now or never."

# # # #

**Okay! I hope that I didn't rush it too bad, and that you now have more story detail! As for making them fourteen, I could be wrong, could be right. But it said four years, and Zero's an adult so yeah! I hope you're excited! Sukui joins Cross the next chapter, and the plot really rolls!**

**Remember to review and tell me what you think! I know you guys are out there, I see the hit count on this thing ^.^**

**Till next time!**


	10. Familiar Faces

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**And thanks for helping me with the rating thing ^^ I just wanted to make sure I was following Fanfiction standard and not deceiving the public. **

**PLUS I know, lame chapter title. I couldn't come up with anything, you know, clever!**

# # # #

**10. Familiar Faces**

Sukui strolled all the way up to the gates, and was about to push them open when a voice popped behind her. "Why hello! I haven't seen you around before!" Sukui turned at the oddly cheerful voice, and came face to face with the hunter she had ran away from not that long ago. He had long ashy brown hair tied in a ponytail, and dark brown eyes with glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose.

"Umm, I am uh. . . New?"

"A new student! That's wonderful! I am Headmaster Kaien Cross of Cross Academy. Welcome! Oh, and just come with me, we will get all of your stuff filled out and get your uniform!" The bubbly man pushed the giant open with his back side - because his hands were full of groceries - and Sukui followed timidly.

"Umm you know I could help you with those?"

"Oh there is no need! I'm fine!"

Sukui was bewildered by this man's very spastically energetic personality, and just followed silently down the cobblestone path. Soon, on either side of it trees filled in, and then there was white stone walls. Another gate was approached, it looked a lot like a castle gate, and Cross shouted, "Yoohoo! It's Headmaster Cross! And a new student!"

Sukui twitched, mostly because she didn't want Kaname to see her. The gate screeched open and once again, Sukui followed the nut-so Headmaster into the grounds of Cross Academy. It had to be lunch time, because boys and girls in all of the same black, red, and white uniforms were running and around, and chatting idly with bento's on their laps.

"Who's that?"

"Must be a new student. . ."

"She looks kind of weird. She's got an eye patch."

"Cool! Chick is totally a pirate."

With each behind-her-back comment, the vein in Sukui's head puffed up in size. She was already hungry, considering all she had been able to do in her current state was drink blood, and now people were talking about her. If only they knew she had a famous, and almost catastrophic temper when it came to her injured eye.

"Headmaster! Sukui?"

Another familiar face came with a familiar voice, the Yuuki girl from just two days or so ago was standing right next to them, halting the progress. "My dearest Yuuki! You know this girl?" Cross questioned, and the smiling girl nodded. "Yeah! Sukui Fiyohina. She wasn't going to be a student before. . . I don't think." then she turned to Sukui, "Are you coming here?"

Sukui almost didn't recognize the alias she put together, but once she did she replied with: "Oh, yeah I will be. I was just going with Headmaster Cross here to get the umm work done I guess?" Some much interaction! Sukui had never been around humans for this long, heck any species really for the last four years! Except for Kaname and the horde of vampires the day before, but for some reason, today she was tongue tied.

Was she nervous? Well that hadn't happened in a really long while. . .

"Well that's great! I can't wait to see you in class!" Yuuki smiled, and then she bid the Headmaster and Sukui farewell, and went on her way. "That's my daughter Yuuki!" Kaien smiled, "Looks a lot like me doesn't she?" Sukui didn't know what to say to that, it was a good thing the man turned and kept walking.

"Okay," he said finally, "We are here! The Headmasters office!" he pushed the door open once more, and once again, Sukui followed. "So Sukui," Kaien started, setting the groceries in the open kitchen they had stopped in, "You want to attend Cross Academy?" Sukui had one hand on her other arm, rubbing it awkwardly, "Uh, yeah."

"Any reason in particular?"

_Shizuka. _"No not really, just wanted an education I suppose. . ."

"Well you came to the right place!" the headmaster brushed by her briefly and then came back with some official looking papers. "Just skim through them and sign and then were are good as gol. . ."

Cross must have noticed Sukui death glaring the yen per year page. Needless to say, Sukui didn't have any money, she hadn't even ever had a job before. She didn't think it wise to be walking around things she imagined snacking on. "Umm Sukui? Everything alright?"

"I can't afford this, Cross-san." Sukui admitted finally, setting the papers down on the table in front of her. _Because my parents were murdered and I don't have a job. _Sukui kept the rest to herself, pity was something that she did not want from people anymore.

"Well, you could work for me." Cross smiled, "and besides, taking in people who need help is what I do! Welcome to Cross Academy Sukui, remember to sign the papers!"

# # # #


	11. Coexist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

# # # #

**11. Coexist**

Halfway through the pretty sizable amount of paper, Sukui was faced with an odd looking question. "Night Class or Day Class? Why this Headmaster?" Now that she saw it, she hadn't seen Kaname or any of the vampires around. No white uniforms, just all black. Cross, who had been concocting some kind of reeking monstrosity on the stove, looked at Sukui and said simply, "Well, it depends on how in control of your appetite you are."

The hunters heart leapt. "What do you mean?" she tried to remain calm, and breath evenly. He knew that she was a vampire? Well he was a hunter, if he didn't know he was an idiot.

Then again. . . Maybe he was just guessing, he did have vampires there already.

"I mean, for vampires." he drawled casually, chopping carrots into the pot, brown spices popping up and spotting his pink bunny apron. Sukui continued to stare at him, "So you know then."

"You think I didn't recognize you? I may look stupid, but I'm deceiving that way."

He sure was, going serious twice in one sitting like he had that day. "I'll do Day Class." Sukui stated calmly, "But I'm gonna need blood tablets."

"There are shipments every month for the Night Class, I'll just add your name to the list."

"How on Earth are vampires and humans going to this school together?" Sukui asked suddenly as she wrapped up her paper filing, setting the pen down and cracking her knuckles. "I mean, do the humans know? How are the vampires okay with it?"

Cross got a starry look in his eye and Sukui got a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach as Cross began a very well prepared rant, eh hem, speech. "No, the Day Class are not aware of the Night class, but with the Day and Night Class bonding, once their secret is revealed, vampires and humans can coexist peacefully! In an ideal world where people aren't afraid! There will be peace!"

Kaien stood passionately, with his wooden spoon up in the air.

"Good luck with that."

Cross's soul practically floated out of his body, and in a rather comical way. "It's not entirely impossible. . ." he whined.

The front door creaked open, "Headmaster!" a rather ornery voice snapped, "Yuuki told me that you needed to see me?" Kaien tapped the wooden spoon to his head, "Yes actually! This morning before I went for groceries, I was wondering if Friday you and her would run some errands for me?"

"Why couldn't you have just done that today?"

Cross scratched the back of his head as sweat beaded on his skin, "Oh I kind of forgot until just now."

"Of course you did. and are you in the kitchen? That is some bad smelling lunch." the snappy voice deadpanned, and before Cross could retort back, the embodiment of the voice stepped into the room.

Sukui was frozen.

So was the boy.

"Zero. . ."

# # # #

**Looks like Sukui knows that Zero is alive! I wonder how their reunion will go. . . And yes, I cliffhanged you! I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me xD**

**Review's are loved, and I thank all that do! :D**


	12. Fated Reunion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

# # # #

**12. Fated Reunion**

"Zero. . ."

Sure enough as Sukui was sitting in Cross Academy, her childhood friend was in the doorway. His silver hair was shaggier, and his purple eyes brighter. He had the Hunters Crest tattooed onto his neck, much like Sukui had it on her eye. Much taller, much leaner, Zero Kiryu just stared right back.

The wonders four years could cause.

"Impossible." was the only word that came out of Zero's mouth, "You were dead. I woke up and you weren't there. She had to have. . . You can't be. . ." it all just spilled out, he hardly knew what to do with himself, and the same could easily be said for Sukui.

"You aren't supposed to be alive either! I saw the life drain from your eyes Zero!" Sukui's voice stammered, and her eyes burned with tears she hadn't shed since that night. "Well umm, I suppose I'll be going." Cross interjected sheepishly, darting from the room. The stare down between Minami and Kiryu was unwavering, even from the frantic Headmaster's outburst.

"That means. . . You're a vampire too." Sukui broke the silence sadly, her head down and tears sliding free, betraying her "She changed you. . . I couldn't stop it. . . I'm so . . ."

"Don't"

The soft word, a soft tone she hadn't heard forever interrupted her spiel. "But Zero. . ."

"No buts. You did try to protect me after all. . . It's not your fault."

"I am the reason your parents are DEAD." Sukui screamed suddenly, shaking like mad. "If it weren't for me. . ."

"Things would have turned out the same."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because Aoishi was on the Execution List, it was just bad luck that he happened to be with her, just like it was bad luck that you got pulled into the situation, and that my parents got assigned to the mission in the first place." his voice was calm and distant, and Sukui did not like it at all. This wasn't the cheerful, gentle Zero she'd known, the one she'd been with for nine years, this was a broken Zero. A cold one.

Sukui took a deep breath, wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, and said, "You're right, I guess its just awful luck." Then she looked Zero in his purple eyes, and smiled small, more like a smirk, "It's good to see you, alive and well."

Zero spared a small "smile" himself, "Same to you." Then they both stepped towards each other and shuffled kind of awkwardly, what they used to do was hug, but they were both so different then. Not who they used to be. After several minutes of this, they stiffly shook hands.

"What was that!"

Zero and Sukui turned to see the Headmaster, holding some popcorn, eyes wide. "Where is the hug! The kiss!"

Zero flipped the headmaster, steam practically coming out of his ears. "This isn't a romance novel! Plus, Sukui is like a sister to me!"

Sukui laughed at the exchange heartily. Glad that awkward bout seemed to be over.

# # # #

**Short as it may be, here is their reunion! I know it was a bit understated, and not as deep as you all thought it would be, but trust me. I have many plans x:D**


	13. Here To Stay

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

# # # #

**13. Here To Stay **

As Cross lay with a bump on his head on the floor, Sukui couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like you've got Kaito's temper!" Zero turned, still fairly miffed replied, "Am not!"

"Speaking of which, where is he? And Yagari-sensei, and Ichiru. . ." She asked, interrupting his anger. Sukui found herself silently praying that they weren't all dead too. "Well, Master and Takamiya are out doing what hunters do best and I haven't seen them in years, and Ichiru is actually dead. . ." the pause made Sukui question his words, but he was his twin brother, he wouldn't make that up.

"Oh . . ." Sukui didn't know quite what to say. She hadn't had any siblings, at least that she knew of.

"Well! Looks like you are an official member of the Day Class, and over all, my family!" Kaien, quickly recovered and sparkling with energy said, as he held the standard jacket and skirt uniform of the private school out to the vampire girl. Sukui was visibly unsure about the ensemble.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like some alterations." she finally said. Kaien nodded patiently, "Yes of course. Shouldn't be a problem, just jot the details down and it'll be ready by the morning!"

Sukui did so on the back of her paperwork and handed it all over. Cross took it and trotted off purposefully, leaving the two childhood friends alone for real that time. "So you're here to stay." Zero stated, leaning against the hallway wall, while Sukui did the same with the kitchen door frame. "Yeah, I was looking for information on . . . You know. . ."

"This guy named Kaname told me it was here. If there's a chance I can kill her than I will take it." Minami finished, twirling her dagger in between her two index fingers.

Zero's lip curled back in disgust, "Kuran. He's about as trustworthy as all the other bloodsuckers out there." Sukui snorted back a laugh, "You mean as trustworthy as we are, Zero?" when he didn't respond to that, she continued, "Well he knew my name, and what I was after, so its worth a shot."

"Okay Sukui, it'll be ready and sent to your dorm room at eight sharp tomorrow!" Cross popped in again, "Zero, mind showing her there? I'd have Yuuki do it, but I have no idea where she is." Zero nodded, "I may as well. Or Sukui'll get lost."

Sukui's eyebrows furrowed, "Now hold on, that's hardly fair! I don't get lost. . ." Then she recalled almost every instance for the past week, and slumped over in depression. "Okay, I get lost 99.9% of the time."

Zero smirked again and opened up the front door, Sukui thanked him and they both went in what must have been to the girl's dormitories.

# # # #


	14. Shiny New Toy Has Bite!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Filler-ish(?) chapter before I completely jump into the plot. The stage must be set before the play goes on!**

# # # #

**14. Shiny New Toy Has Bite! **

Sukui awoke the next day just in time to get her uniform from a fellow Day Class girl, who looked so uppity that Sukui believed she had a stick up her ass. "Thanks." she said awkwardly, "You're welcome." the girl smiled, and looked Sukui up and down, her lip had curled and she whirled around and left. It reminded Sukui strangely of how cold and unfeeling it appears Zero had come.

Sukui still could barely believe that he was alive! She almost died and Shizuka hadn't even had any beef with her or her family! As Sukui pulled out her uniform and changed, she wondered why Shizuka had changed Zero too.

_Because she's a sadist woman. _she smirked at her own thoughts.

In the mirror in the door of the single bedded dorm room, Sukui analyzed herself critically. The black and red jacket was a modified vest with a hood, that Sukui wore a black tank top under and the red tie with the cross pin overtop, the skirt was still the same, but the boots reached her thighs and were a solid black with silver buckles all the way up the sides.

She had kept her gloves, and tied in her new black eye patch that had the school's emblem on it in emblazoned in red. "Alright." Sukui said to herself, "Time to go to school." she promptly left the room, and joined the throng of bustling girls. She was pushed and shoved all around until she finally got spit out onto the concrete sidewalk.

"Yeeouch! They're like a frenzy of Level E's!" Sukui muttered to herself, standing up and dusting herself off. "Nice to see you are just as much of a klutz as always." Sukui rolled her eyes and turned to see Zero, with a cheerful Yuuki bee-bopping by his side. "Ready to get played with like a shiny new toy?" Zero questioned.

Sukui smiled, her canine's gleaming just a bit. "I'll just have to show them this toy has bite."

# # # #

The classroom was set up so each long desk with chairs gradually lowered to where the teacher would stand, and that teacher was a rather stuffy looking man with brown hair and eyes, in a dress shirt and red tie. By the time the trio strolled into the classroom, he was already going into full out lecture mode.

"Wow." Sukui began, "I'm gonna hate this aren't I?" Sukui hadn't been to school for a long time, and hadn't even thought about it. It was like she was experiencing it all over again.

"Hello." a voice said, and Sukui turned her head from Zero and Yuuki to that girl that she had met sort of the day she'd met Yuuki, she remembered her name was Yori. "Hello." Sukui said, "I'm Sukui." Yori nodded, "It's very nice to meet you, I am Sayori, but you can call me Yori."

Yuuki smiled and gave a small clap, "I'm glad you two could meet! I'm sure friends are just what you need Sukui!"

"and what is that supposed to mean?"

"I-I just mean that friends are good for a new school!"

"I know ya goof! I was just yanking your chain!" Sukui smiled with closed eyes and gave a short snort, "Zero, is she always like this?"

Though, she was surprised when she found out that he wasn't standing beside her, but at the top most row of desks, his head buried in a book. A bead of sweat rolled down the back of her head, "Uh…"

Yuuki sighed, "Zero doesn't really like to talk much during class." Yori nodded in agreement, and Sukui looked to him briefly in worry, before reluctantly going to sit with the girls. All the while though, she couldn't help but look back at him, wondering what exactly was running through her childhood friend's head.

"Alright class!" the teacher's assertive voiced forcibly brought Sukui back into the classroom, "Today, we have a new student. Sukui Minami! Would you come up in front of the class please?" Sukui snarled at that, and at the sharp snort just behind her, he must have remembered too.

Timidly almost, Sukui stood in front of the class and bowed slightly. "Hi, I am Sukui Minami. Yeah I've got a freaky eye patch, anyone bugs me about it, and I'll show you what's underneath." she smiled with her pointed canine's shining slightly once more that day. The Day Class was more than phased, and as Sukui sat down again they began the buzz of conversation: "Crap, a female Zero. Just what we need."

"You think she's a prefect too?"

Yuuki smiled slightly, "Looks like you've already created a reputation, but I didn't know your name was Minami?" Sukui could have smacked herself in the face just then, she'd forgotten about her alias. "About that. I kinda of lied about my last name so I wouldn't get tracked?"

Surprisingly, Yuuki nodded in understanding. "Oh I see."

Then the teacher called the class to order, and Sukui was back in an oddly normal routine.

# # # #

Cross was flitting through Sukui's paper work, he stopped suddenly at the end page. A finger shaking by her last name.

"There is no way." he whispered to himself, gold-brown eyes wavering with bubbles of tears shining within. "There is no way that it's her."

# # # #

**Did I just cliffhang you? For the second time? Aww. . . Looks like now, you have to come back ;D**

**Your reviews are much appreciated.**


	15. Moonlit Feast

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title based on episode title.**

**P.S. Thanks Guest for giving me some constructive criticism! I didn't think Sukui was so sporadic, I'm just trying to keep her real and all that. I will try and tone it down ^^ thanks for pointing it out! **

# # # #

**15. Moonlit Feast**

Sukui woke up and got dressed up for another day of school. It was quite the interesting experience yesterday, and she was actually eager to get to more, and then to the weekend so that she could do some research, after she found that Kaname guy of course.

"Sukui-chan!" Yuuki piped once the Minami turned Fiyohina turned Minami again, fought her way out of the crowd, panting once again. "Damn! These humans are vicious."

"Huh?"

"Oh nothing, now did you need anything?"

"No, but since you and Zero are friends, I thought you'd want to come to his office to help with Zero's. . . You know. . ."

Sukui's lip curled, "To help with his what?"

Yuuki blushed and flailed her arms frantically, "Oh no! Nothing like that! He's just . . . You know. . . Having problems with his . . . Vampire side." Sukui immediately thought the worst, _Zero is dissenting into Level E? He couldn't be. . . Unless Shizuka didn't give him any of her blood. . . So this is why he was acting so distant. . . Well, besides the obvious._

"I'll come." she finally said, and Yuuki nodded, turning and leading the way. _Oh man, what am I gonna do to help Zero?_

# # # #

"Good morning Yuuki! Sukui! He-hey! That rhymed!"

Cross greeted the two female Day Class students with his usual vigor, while Zero just nodded shortly to Yuuki and gazed at Sukui. "Yuuki come here, I have something for you, and you too Sukui, luckily I have an extra." Sukui found out what he meant when the bubbly man clasped some ancient looking metal bracelets to their wrists.

"Now come here Zero, its your turn. I'm going to need to get some blood."

Cross pinched Zero's finger and let the blood drip on the diamond charms of the bracelets. "This way, if Zero tries to bite anyone, you two can stop him." the Headmaster then proceeded to take Yuuki's wrist and press it to the tattoo on Zero's neck.

Instantly, the poor Kiryu was on the ground, pinned down and looking rather pained due to giant black needles pulsating purple energy. "This will leave him immobilized, and by then the frenzy should be over." Cross finished, but then he knelt down next to Zero, "Though, if you do get to thirsty. . . There is plenty here."

Cross pulled down his shirt a little to reveal his neck, and was chucked into the wall again, a disgruntled Zero stomping out of the room. "Way to go." Sukui remarked sarcastically to Kaien who was trying to dust off the bruise on his head. Yuuki agreed, and then headed towards the door, Sukui was following until the headmaster called her.

"You do know what's happening to him right?"

Sukui nodded solemnly.

"Good, just making sure."

# # # #

"Great, I am going to be late to my second day of school."

"I'm sorry Sukui! If we just keep running we'll make it in time!"

The two Day Class girls, one clumsy human the other a very disgruntled vampire-vampire hunter, slid down the oak floored, large windowed hallway of the school, made it to two large double doors, and raced to their seats. Though, standing in the center area where the teacher from yesterday should have been, was someone Sukui didn't imagine she'd ever see again.

"Master?!" _So many shocks in just two days. _She thought.

"Come on Sukui! We need to sit down before the tardy bell rings!" Sukui nodded in agreement with Yuuki's words as she slid in the desks next to Yori.

The bell chorused, but Yuuki hadn't sat down. "Aww no!" Yuuki sank into her seat, just as Toga's eyes flicked over to her, or rather, eye. "I'm so busted!"

"Ms. Cross? Why are you late to my class?" he continued to stare at a _now _very disgruntled Yuuki. Sukui was a little freaked out, not only was her Master there, but private schools were so strict that if one wasn't sitting in their seat it counted as late?

The door creaked open again, but not because somebody was going in.

"Oh it looks like Zero was here." Yuuki said, "I wonder why he's leaving?" _I wonder too. _Sukui thought_. _She looked to Yuuki, "We should go and find out." Getting up and quickly leaving the room, soon the Cross girl was at her heels.

They found Zero at the very first gate.

"Zero, hold on." Sukui panted slightly, "Where are you going?" Zero didn't answer for awhile, and then he said. "Headmaster asked me to do some errands with Yuuki the day you got here, so I'm going out and doing them." Sukui observed the white tee and black jacket instead of the Cross Academy uniform. How fast had he changed?

"Oh right!" Yuuki piped up, "I almost forgot." and she went to stand next to Zero. Sukui took this as an indication to scram, so she turned on her heel. "Wait Sukui." Zero said, "You might as well come with us."

# # # #

"Man I'm starving! Can we _please _get something to eat?"

"I'm regretting inviting you now. . ."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Don't be such a grump Zero!"

A vein puffed in Zero's head, as Sukui whined for what had to be the millionth time that trip, Yuuki merely giggled at the girl's antics. "We'll be done before you know it Sukui, we can eat when we go to the Headmaster's."

"But I need food _now_."

Zero sighed in irritation, the heavy canvas bag toted over onto his shoulder taxing him as well as his longtime friend. "Fine! We'll get some food!" Sukui smiled pointedly, "Thanks Zero!" and skipped along her way. Yuuki laughed, "Sukui sure is unique."

"A unique pain in my. . ."

"You coming?" Sukui piped, turning back to look at the slow duo. They both nodded.

They finally go into a restaurant, and sit in a booth. Sukui order was potato soup, Yuuki and Zero order nothing. As Sukui is eagerly scarfing down the soup, almost like a dog, Yuuki and Zero discussed some things that Sukui could not understand, what with her mad chomping.

Finally, another female waitress, besides the one who had attended them, showed up. "You!" she pointed at Zero, "Aren't you from the Night Class!?" at first, Zero blinked at her, but then she continued, "Please tell. . ." but before she could utter another word, Zero stood up and walked out rather abruptly.

"Aido that I love him?"

Yuuki looked to the door with concern, and she stood, ready to follow, Sukui did the same. That instantly created awkwardness, as the waitress scuttled away. "Umm you should go, Yuuki. . . You've been with him the last nine years." Yuuki shook her brown haired head, "You know him better. He's closed off from me."

"We'll both go."

They finally said this in unison, and ran out the front door of the restaurant, to find nothing and no one about. "Crap, we wasted to much time." Sukui grumbled, "Who knows where he could have gone by now." Yuuki just continued to storm ahead, to which Sukui hastily followed.

"Yuuki there are whole horde of Level E's holed up in this town, I doubt going alone is a smart idea!" Sukui whispered, right behind Yuuki's heels. "Well, I'm not alone now am I?" she giggled then she stopped and turned to her, "What're Level E's?" Sukui rolled her eyes at the girl, not thinking she was serious, and finally managed to stop scuttling behind her heels and keep pace with her as Yuuki kept walking once again.

They passed through an alleyway, where Yuuki got back lashed by a rusty sewer pipe interconnected with one of the cobblestone walls. "Ow!" she squeaked, and the crimson in Sukui's eyes started to burn, but she fought it. Tearing the edge of Yuuki's sleeve off and wrapping it around the prefect's hand in a quick motion before covering her nose and mouth.

"Thanks Sukui! I know it must be hard."

"Don't talk, you'll make it harder." she said, muffled through her hand.

"Sorry!"

Sukui hated feeling the weakness once again, but she grabbed Yuuki's arm and trudged forward. "Zero Kiryu! I'm gonna kick your ass for leaving me with Klutzy Mc-bleeder over here!" she hollered. Yuuki rose an eyebrow at her, but the duo still continued on. Until they came across this little brown haired boy in a green coat, crouching down as if he were crying.

"Little boy?" Yuuki started, but Sukui knew better. "Stay far away from him."

"He's just a little boy!"

"Looks can be deceiving." Sukui pinched her nose in distaste with the hand that had been covering her mouth, and pulled out her dagger. Yuuki yanked her hand back in alarm, "Sukui! He's a kid!" Sukui jerked away from Yuuki, "He's a mindless killing machine."

"He's no longer there."

"What?"

# # # #

**I'm sorry that it's not exactly like the episode, and that it's cut in half. But I told you I would make some changes, ne? :D and I cut it in half because it's really freaking long and I am cliffhanging you again! Haha.**

**Reviews please!**


	16. Bloody Good Party

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Yes I know, my puns are lame xD**

# # # #

**16. Bloody Good Party **

Sukui turned, and it was true. The boy was not crouched there any longer. Instead, he was lunging from the roof of one of the low rising buildings. Yuuki reacted instantly, whipping out a long silver rod and hitting him right in the face. It sent him crashing into the wall of the alley way, but of course he sprang back.

Another swift hit with Yuuki's anti-vampire weapon sent the creature flying once again, but this time it was by Zero's hand. Sukui glared indignantly, "It's about time you came this happened looking for you!" Zero ignored her, though the throbbing vein in his head was an indication that he wasn't going to let her comment slide.

"Umm guys? Save your bickering for later!" Yuuki piped in, as the kid came rocketing forward again. Sukui got ready to retaliate, exhilarated at finally being able to attack, but then, a sword pierced the creature, and it disintegrated into a shroud of dust that drifted in the wind.

"Ahh come on!"

"My apologies, Minami-san." a blond haired and green eyed aristocrat smiled, in the Night Class uniform on him. Next to him stood a red haired, blue eyed Night Class boy, completely emotionless. "Next time, I will let you make the kill."

"Okay, I am kind of sick of people knowing my name, and I don't even know who they are." Sukui twitched. The blond smiled once again, "I am Takuma Ichijou." Sukui sighed, "Pleasure to meet you."

"What're you doing here Takuma-kun? Shiki-san?" Yuuki asked, stepping next to Sukui. "We are here to invite you to my birthday!" Takuma cheered, "Won't you? Won't you come? Especially you and Sukui, Yuuki-san. Kaname would like a special word with the both of you."

Zero growled in the background, and Yuuki eagerly agreed. "Uh, sure!" Takuma looked satisfied, "See you two then! You also Zero." he smiled for the third time, and walked off. Shiki followed also. Sukui stood with clinched fists, Zero with his usual ornery glare.

# # # #

In front of the Night Class dormitories, Sukui groaned. "I reallyyy don't wanna be here."

She was waiting oh-so-patiently for Yuuki and Zero to hurry their keisters up so that they could go to Takuma's party and then go home to a nice warm bed. The full moon was bright overhead, and pinpricks of light were smattered everywhere. "Good thing it's a pretty night, or I'd kick their. . ."

"Take it, use it if I get out of control."

"Zero. . ."

Sukui couldn't help but catch the voices of the two prefects, apparently Zero was giving Yuuki something. . . If Sukui knew him well enough, it was a gun. But why? Was it because he was dissenting? Was he giving up? What could she possibly do to help him in this situation? Ugh, so many questions!

She sighed, "Stupid Zero."

"Who you calling stupid?!"

Sukui got clocked right on the head by an agitated silver haired boy, "Oi! Zero! That hurt for one, and for another I was talking about you. You won't let yourself slip so easily that you really need to be shot, will you?"

That froze him, his purple eyes thoughtful, and agitated.

"Come on in guys! Welcome to the party!" A man piped cheerily, his blond head poked out of the gates. Cerulean blue eyes sparkled, and Sukui knew him only as Hanabusa. "Oh! It's you!" he squeaked. "Yes, its me."

"I am Aido! Aido Ha. . ."

"Yeah, I know, let's just get this stinking party over with."

"Oh, oh okay."

He began ushering the three inside, leading them to Kaname no doubt. The clearing was candle lit and filled with the Night Class students both known and unknown to the trio. Sukui growled in a very feral way, "Damn, so many of these beasts just crawling around."

"You can say that again." Zero added.

Aido led them to sitting on these plush chairs and couches. Yuuki, after being motioned by Kaname, sat somewhat begrudgingly, but with a huge amount of blush on her face, next to the pureblood leader. "I heard you had a rough encounter today." he deadpanned.

"Just a Level E, it was nothing I couldn't have handled." Zero retorted mildly. "Oh I am aware Zero." Kaname drawled. Yuuki then asked the same question she had asked Sukui earlier, "What was that, back in the alley? You killed one of your own kind. . ."

Sukui sighed, "Yuuki, you know how I am a vampire right?" Yuuki blinked twice, "You are?" Sukui almost smacked a hand to her face, but went with nodding slowly. "Yes. But I wasn't always like this. From when I was a baby till I was five years old I was a human."

Yuuki listened eagerly, as Sukui explained.

"Vampires like me need to drink the blood of the pureblood who changed them, because if they don't, slowly they go rogue. And become what I've always thought vampires to be." Sukui was locked in a glare with Kaname at that point, "Selfish, all-consuming monsters."

"Well, the fact that we were able to take care of it is good enough for me." Kaname interjected, "Those beasts should be for us to dispose of."

"Excuse me." Zero finally put in, "It's our job. Its why we exist virtually."

Kaname rolled his eyes, well that's what Sukui thought by the way the candle light rolled off of them in the reflection of the garnet depths, "To protect everyone yes, I am aware." Zero must have thought the same thing, so he clinched up beside Sukui.

"Then why Zero, didn't you kill the Level E in the alleyway?" Kaname asked, "I know you are more than capable. Maybe its because you feel a certain. . . Kinship with it." Zero pulled out his Bloody Rose gun from the chain in his coat, and pointed it at the pureblood Kuran's head instantaneously, and though Sukui didn't want to be the one to stop him, a silver haired vampire girl had a hand to his throat.

Sukui clasped both hands around his arm with the gun and said calmly, "Zero, put the gun down. The silver headed chick does not look happy with you, and neither do the others. Don't start an outnumbered fight." Zero yanked away rather irritably, as Kaname tried to reassure his little horde who had came in a circle quite quickly. The silver haired girl backed off with the pureblood's assurance as well.

Takuma tries to cool down the situation, and Zero storms off once more. A vein puffed in Sukui's head, "Damn it Zero!" and she went to follow him, but turned back to a very disgruntled and uncomfortable Yuuki sitting on the couch next to Kaname. "I guess I better keep Yuuki safe, that's probably more important to Zero." She thought back to the exchange from earlier, and leaned against the white porch railing once again.

"Well I certainly wouldn't want Sukui to have to stay here if she's so uncomfortable!" Yuuki tried to squirm out of the situation. "You can't go Yuuki Cross." Hanabusa stated firmly. Yuuki looked to Sukui for help, and she sighed. "Kaname, would it be alright if I take Yuuki away? She has duties to perform."

The Minami spoke the truth, the Day Class needed to be watched to make sure fan girls weren't sneaking up on the Night Class. The brown haired man sighed, "Well alright." Sukui gladly starts striding away, but when Yuuki gains pace with her, her face was pale.

"You okay?" Sukui asked somewhat awkwardly. Yuuki threw on a fake smile, "Oh, I'm just fine." Sukui doubted that, but she didn't wanna press further. She felt strange. "Zero. . ." she whispered, and then suddenly took off, leaving the Cross girl to bolt after her.

# # # #

_What is wrong with me? Why am I going this way? _Sukui was a little shocked that her feet were carrying her so quickly, towards a pool. . .

Zero was there, a weird glow coming from his neck.

"Zero? Zero!" Sukui skidded to a halt just in front of him, and stepped cautiously forward. "Zero?"

"Get back!" he growled, the most feral and frightening sound she'd heard in awhile. It set her hair on end. "Sukui! Be careful!" Yuuki called from behind. "It'll be okay Zero, I'll get you some blood tablets, that should. . ."

"It's not going to work Sukui! I can't take them! I can't!" the boy was shaking violently. "Zero, there must be something that. . ." but he whirled at her. She lashed out, trying to connect Cross's bracelet to his neck, but they both fell into the pool. Sukui held the dagger to her best friend's throat instead, as his canine's snapped at her, his eyes and tattoo glowed scarlet.

_**Boom!**_

A sharp ringing reached Sukui's ears, and a red patch bloomed on Zero's shoulder. "Really?" a familiar deep voice uttered, "You both skip my class and this is where you end up? I thought I trained you better."

Zero and Sukui turned to look at him together.

"Master Toga."

# # # #

**All episodes will be in two parts! Perfect length! Yeah-ah! :D filler chapters will be in between of course, extra details if need be. **


	17. Multiple Decisions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Alteration of episode title once again ^^**

# # # #

**17. Multiple Decisions**

"_Why do vampires hurt people?" _

_It was hours after the Nurse incident, Yagari's eye was all patched up with gauze, and Zero, Ichiru, Sukui sat just in front of him. Nikki and Ryuu ran around in the house just behind them setting up clean up at the school, a funeral, and contacting the Association. They were all at the Kiryu's in the backyard by the small pond, and if Zero hadn't asked Toga the question, then the silence would have never ended._

_Sukui winced at that, and Zero shot an apologetic gaze to her just before Toga answered._

"_Because they are pitiful beings who live only on instinct."_

# # # #

Zero was shaky, the blood from the gunshot wound flowing rather harshly. Sukui had sheathed her knife, and tried to find someway to attend to her injured friend. "It's been awhile Sukui, I thought you were dead." Toga broke the silence, and being reunited in such a way, she of course did not respond gratefully or in admiration.

"Master, why'd you shoot him?"

"You rather me let him bite you?"

"Sukui, it's okay." Zero panted, and then he turned to Yuuki, "It'll be fine. He should really just kill me, stop me from dissenting."

"My choice exactly." Toga said, cocking the shot gun, but simultaneously, just as Sukui took a stance to protect Zero, Yuuki did as well. "Look," the Cross girl said, "I don't know your relationship with Zero, but I won't let you kill him!"

Zero sighed, and gave Sukui a look. A very sad, burdened look. She felt herself choke, trying to come up with something to say, but suddenly the lavender gaze changed, and all there was left was a cold indifference, the same look she'd seen ever since she had come to Cross.

_Is old Zero still in there? _she questioned herself. They used to share everything, her, Zero, and Ichiru. No one was tighter than those three. No one was tighter than her and Zero. He climbed out of the pool and pushed Yuuki to the side a bit, "It's okay. It'll be best." Sukui's heart leapt into her throat, and she was about to jump out of the pool to protect him once again.

"Yagari! You know you are teaching the Night Class too right? Don't loaf around! I'm not paying you for that!"

Sukui had never been more glad to hear the bubbly voice of the insane Headmaster, who was in a brown trench coat with one of his closed eyes smiles. Yagari lowered the gun, and him and Zero exchanged a glance as the hunter grumbled, "You don't pay me at all." he then began to stride away.

"Wait Yagari, stay here. We need to talk." the Headmaster said seriously, arms crossed. Toga scoffed. "I have a class to teach don't I?"

Then he stopped again, and called to the two females. "You know Yuuki? You really are Kaien's adopted daughter. You see me as the enemy even as Zero tried to bite your friend." then he turned a bit to look into Sukui's one silver eye with his one remaining blue, "And I see Sukui, that the past hasn't really changed at all."

Sukui growled, her heart threatening to push out of her once more. _Not in front of Zero, Master!_

Toga stayed with Headmaster, Yuuki, and a dripping Zero and Sukui. "Well Yuuki, Sukui, I will handle the situation here, it's best you go back to your dorms, alright?" Yuuki and Sukui exchanged a worried glance. "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Sukui sighed, and pulled herself out of the pool, shivering. Yuuki helped the poor girl out. "A-alright, l-let's go." Yuuki looked to Sukui in extra worry. "You look like you are catching a cold."

"Hunter's don't catch colds!"

_**Achoo!**_

"Shit."

Yuuki took off her coat and draped it over Sukui, ushering her towards the dorms, yet the both looked back at the silver haired hunter in worry once more.

"There has to be something we can do to save him. . ." Yuuki whispered, and Sukui nodded. "Zero's always been tough but. . . He needs help. Whether he'll except it or not." Sukui stated firmly. Yuuki smiled at her, "You know? I think we can be great friends. We'll both keep Zero safe."

"Promise?"

Sukui was surprised by the intensity, and the genuineness of Yuuki Cross, and hesitated before smiling a bit herself, and scrambling to say. "Uh yeah, we'll keep him safe."

"Good."

The silence was a bit daunting in darkness of the courtyard, until Yuuki broke it once more. "Sukui? I know you bunk alone, would you like to come stay with Yori and I tonight? After. . ." she didn't have to continue, the Minami nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Finally they made it to the dorms, and to Yuuki's room. Greeted by a worried Yori, the two tried all they could to assure Yori everything was fine, and even though Yori had no idea she seemed suspicious. All the while Yuuki and Sukui were very concerned about Zero Kiryu, who they'd left with the Headmaster.

# # # #

"Where is he?"

The first question that Sukui asked Toga the very next day, Yuuki just behind her. Zero had not been in the classroom, and Toga had claimed he had a job to do and left the classroom within seconds of that revelation. Naturally, the two girl's were slightly more than suspicious after the previous nights events.

"He's on the verge of killing someone at any moment." Toga deadpanned, "He's in a separate room."

"Tell us where he is?" Yuuki pried, obviously frazzled. Toga shook his shaggy black haired head back and forth, "Yuuki, Sukui, it'd be best if you left him alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that Master." Sukui whispered, "Please, tell us where he is." Yagari sighed once more, his blue eye closed as he rubbed his temples, "Why you'd want to be around him is beyond me."

"How could you say that." Sukui growled, "He was one of your students! He's no different then me!"

"Sadly, he is. He is dissenting. You are not."

"Tell us where he is please, let us help him." Yuuki dropped in the heated argument once again, and finally the vampire hunter male sighed and told them that Zero was in the Headmaster's guest room.

"There is nothing you can do. . ." he whispered sadly. Sukui's heart clamped up as her and Yuuki raced off. She wouldn't believe that. There had to be a way to save him from himself.

# # # #

Sukui rapped her fist agitatedly on the door to the room, "Zero! Why'd you allow yourself to get locked up like this! WHY." No answer. So Yuuki tried the knob, it turned around completely. She looked to Sukui is shock, "It isn't locked at all!" then turning to the door - or Zero more appropriately - she said, "Zero, why are you in here if the doors not even locked?"

"Leave."

"No. Why are you doing everything Master tells you too?" Sukui questioned, leaning against the door. He didn't always used to listen to Yagari all the time:

_**Flashback**_

"_You are an excellent student Sukui." Yagari would joke, "Zero, you should learn from her."_

"_Hey! I listen to you!"_

"_Every once in a blue moon!"_

_The argument had only happened before the Nurse incident, but changed afterwards. Even so, Zero had never given up so easily. . ._

_**Flashback End**_

"Because Sukui."

Sukui growled, "Spit it out Zero! Yuuki and I aren't leaving!" Yuuki nodded firmly, than realized Zero couldn't see her, and yelled, "Yeah!" An audible sigh was heard from the other side of the door, and a mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like, "Why'd my crazy old friend show up _now_."

Finally, a clear answer had come.

Zero told the story of Toga's fiancée, and Sukui relived every second with him. "It was then that I truly realized that vampires were dangerous. And I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. Master is right."

"Zero, if you do this you are practically giving up!" Yuuki piped in, "and I am sure Sukui doesn't want to see that as much as I don't want to see that! Let us in! Or at least Sukui." Sukui whirled to Yuuki and whispered quietly, "But Yuuki. . ." Yuuki let a small smile loose, "You haven't heard what I have Sukui-chan."

Sukui just stared at her.

# # # #

_**Flashback - Yuuki Cross**_

"_Zero-kun, tell me about yourself?"_

_A twelve year old Yuuki sat next to the disgruntled, and very quiet fourteen year old Zero. It'd been about a week since the attack that had killed his family, and all Yuuki had done was clean him up afterwards, and stop him from hurting himself. She wanted to try and relieve him of the emotional pain, if only a little._

_As she waited for him to answer, her brown eyes boring into his lilac ones, twirling her long brown hair on one finger, she wondered if he'd ever talk to her. Ever._

"_I had a twin brother. Ichiru." the boy uttered slowly, almost as if each word were precious to him, and he was afraid he'd lose them - his loved ones - all over again. "And a best friend. Her name was Sukui. She was a vampire." Yuuki blinked in curiosity, "Like Kaname?"_

_The boy smirked, "In a way, though she hated purebloods. In the end she was killed by the same pureblood who killed my family, and hers as well." Yuuki looked down, slightly saddened. "I'm so sorry to hear that. . ." but she was too happy that he had at least opened up a little too, so she asked more questions._

"_Was she nice?"_

"_Ha, when she wasn't angry at Kaito." a small smile graced his face for a second, before it darkened again. "She was very nice. A great friend. Though her temper was rather explosive, and she had an odd sense of humor." Yuuki wouldn't let him stop there, _Anything to see that small smile on his face again_, she thought, _anything.

"_Was she a Hunter like you and your family?"_

"_I kind of feel like I'm being interrogated," Zero grumbled, but then turned to Yuuki's sparkling eyes and gave in. "Oh alright alright, yes, she was a Hunter. Her father's family was too, but that's all I know. Even Sukui doesn't know the rest."_

_Yuuki rose an eyebrow, "Really? There is nothing else?"_

"_Well . . . There is one thing. . ."_

"_What?" _

"_I heard Master talk about her father once, just something small."_

"_Just tell me!"_

_Zero snorted, "Alright! He said, "He's too much like a vampire for his own good."_

# # # #

**More cliffhangers! Well I think so at least xD **


	18. A Different Type Of Blood Donor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

_**NOW**_** I am not planning on replacing Yuuki with the major parts because she has such a solid role and I don't wanna screw it up, just finding someway to get some major plot points for Sukui into play. I have a way to make everything tie together, bear with me!**

**Happy Halloween! :D **

# # # #

**18. A Different Type Of Blood Donor**

"I think you should be the one to go in."

"I only just got here! You should be the one to go in!" Sukui almost stammered awkwardly, why the heck was she so socially challenged lately? Yuuki just continued to look at Sukui, and Sukui looked at Yuuki.

"Go."

Sukui stared at the girl for awhile, but when she didn't waver, the Minami girl sighed, and knocked lightly on the door. "Zero, let me in." Yuuki gives Sukui a parting glance, and leaves to wherever, Sukui does not know. The silver haired hunter opens the door, his purple eyes filled with pain. "It'd be best if you just left." The Minami girl however, did not listen. Instead, she pushed past him and into the room. With a sigh, Zero shut the door, as the female hunter proclaimed, "It's not going to work like that Zero."

"And why not?"

"Because. . ." Sukui growled, but then began to struggle with the words, _Because I just got you back. _She could not find the strength to say them, to her best friend. Who she felt so out of place around, even now. It would have been better if she would have let Yuuki go inside instead, she hadn't been about Zero in four years, she didn't know him now. _Not to mention, those words are super awkward. . ._

_Shut up brain!_

"Because why Sukui, spit it out."

"It's not important, I probably should have let Yuuki come in here instead." Sukui shuffled, finding the moment incredibly awkward. Zero didn't say anything, and Sukui didn't find that shocking, but she looked up anyway. Suddenly, he was just too close to her, her eyes were met with his shoulder, curse her shortness!, and two strong arms wrapped around her, he was hugging her?!

"Ze. . .!"

"I couldn't very well do this in front of Headmaster, or Master." he breathed, cutting her off mid-speech, "I thought you were dead, and I'm glad your not." Sukui was frozen, as frozen as the day she had first seen him. Cold Zero wouldn't hug Sukui, but old Zero, warm, gentle Zero, he would. Also, the flash in his eyes just the other day, his mask slipping, was an old Zero trait too. He'd never hid from her.

So old Zero was still in there. . . He was just behind the hurt Zero that stood before her.

Finally Sukui returned the gesture, "I'm glad you aren't dead either, really glad." he smelt like his favorite soup and cinnamon, which didn't sound like a good combination, but fit him well. Sukui had to fight not to sink into it, _No no! _she mentally scolded herself, _bad Sukui bad! What the hell is your issue? Did someone lace your blood tablets?_

She stiffened and was able to focus when she felt Zero's breath at her neck. She knew what he needed. "Drink." was all that came out of her mouth. "No." Zero growled, and he tried to pull away. Sukui wouldn't have it, she held him in place. "I know that it's hurting you Zero, and you know that. Drink. Anything to help my best friend out." those two words felt so foreign, after years of thinking him dead, but he didn't protest.

Zero could have yanked his way right out of her grasp too if he'd wanted, but thirst made him weak, and before anything else was said, he sank his fangs into her neck. The Minami girl hadn't gotten drank from since the very day she was changed, and it really alarmed her. So bad that she almost jerked away from him. It was weird, an indescribable feeling of feeling gradually faint. . .

"Zero, you've gotta stop."

Sukui pushed with all of her might, but her weakness, as well as his, prevented her from breaking free. "Shit. . ." she cursed, black dots cascading into her vision. "Zero please, I can't see. . ." Feebly, she took her dagger with much shaking from the holster at her thigh, and poked him with it. The jolt sent Zero back, and the glow in his eyes faded. At first, he looked repentant, his eyes swimming with sorrow, but then, he said. "Sukui, your blood. . ."

"Haha, do I taste delicious?"

"This isn't funny Sukui!"

Sukui slid to her knees, but before she hit the floor, Zero caught her just in time. "I'm so sorry." Sukui waved it off, "Eh, its f-f-fine. I can walk. Leggo of me." she slurred. Shakily, she tried to push Zero away. He wouldn't budge, not even when she pushed his injured shoulder. "Looks like you are all healed." Sukui whispered. Zero nodded, "It was weird. . . Your blood. . . It was like drinking fire. When I pulled away it was. . . White."

"White blood? Hmm." Sukui's head was on Zero's shoulder, her breathing labored. "That's supa weirddd." Her words were swishing around in her head and out her mouth and she felt light and heavy at the same time, he'd taken so much more than she'd thought.

"I think you need to lie down. . ." Zero gently swept her off her feet bridal style and laid her on his bed. Sitting by the edge. "Zerrooo." she called weakly, "Don't feel bad ok? Come to class tomorrow. Yuuki's worrieded." The Kiryu sighed, and nodded softly, "Alright, I'll go."

That was the last Minami heard before she passed out.

# # # #

**Yuuki's POV**

Yuuki was walking towards the girl's dorm, worried about Zero and Sukui. "I hope she can find some way to help." she whispered, "I sure don't know what to do." she fingered the gun in her breast pocket, the one that Zero had given her earlier. She really didn't want to have to be the one to shoot him, she really didn't want him to die. . .

"Yuuki."

Yuuki was somewhat alarmed, yet not to see Kaname standing in front of her. "I thought you went to see Kiryu." the Cross girl nodded shortly, "I, well Sukui and I, did. I just left them be. She does know him better than me." Kaname nodded shortly, "I see. . ." the air was still, as Kaname stepped forward and took Yuuki in his arms briefly, before pulling away, an interesting look in his eyes that she couldn't place.

"It bugs you that Kiryu and Minami are so close even now?"

_Of course not. _Yuuki thought, _Sukui's my friend. Zero is too. I'm glad that they have each other. . . Right?_

"It doesn't bug me, it's actually kinda cool that after all this time they still are best friends." Kaname slowly nodded at the girl's words, but gave her one last glance of that unreadable look, and walked away.

As he left her, and she didn't know what to do, being too preoccupied with thoughts of Zero.

# # # #

"He said he would be here."

The next day, Sukui sat very agitated next to Yuuki, who was still in a full blown bout of worry. Sukui had woken up bright pink, finding herself still in Zero's room, and rushed out, expecting him to be in the class, like he'd promised the day before. "Jerk. . ." she grumbled, stubbornly trying to ignore the feeling of worry that had been present since she'd found out about Zero's dissent.

Sukui tapped her foot on the wooded floor in irritation, even Master was late to class! What a blatant disregard for. . .

Wait a second.

"Oh no, Yuuki come on!" Sukui grabbed the surprised girl's arm and careened out of the room, heading for the room Zero had been in yesterday in his tried and failed exile. Yuuki flung to door open, just as Yagari, with the Bloody Rose, fired off two quick shots that Zero dodged by re-aiming the gun at the wall behind him, after seeing the two girls in the doorway.

Yuuki was near tears, Sukui wasn't much better off. "You freaking dumbass!" she exclaimed. "Yesterday just meant nothing to you?!" Yuuki stood frigid, not moving or making a sound. Sukui felt unbelievably pathetic at the words that had come spilling out of her mouth, she hated this so much. "Well I guess its good you came, now you can both hear this." Toga added, "She's still alive you know."

It didn't take any thinking to know who Master was referring too.

Sukui sighed, she knew. She knew Shizuka Hio was still alive. "Yes Master, I know."

He brushed past the two girls, "Don't be late for class." and continued down the hall and out of sight. Zero sat in slight shock, and all out shame. "You said you wouldn't quit." Sukui squished the words out from clinched teeth, shaking with anger.

"I thought you were going to die. . ." Yuuki squeaked, walking to the curtains. Back turned, Sukui saw the slight shake and wanted to whack Zero upside the head. Couldn't he see that Yuuki cared about him? That she did too? Why would he even think about quitting on them all over again?

"I. . . I promise I won't run away anymore."

Yuuki and Sukui waited for more, both very unsatisfied with his half-hearted proclamation. "I do promise." he sighed.

Yuuki turned to him and smiled with still shiny eyes, "Good."

"ASSHOLE!"

"Ow! Sukui!"

The resounding head smack broke the almost heartfelt moment between the trio. A very irritable Sukui stood fiercely with her hand still raised after the strike.

Zero, with pulsating forehead and neck veins glared angrily at his assailant as he rubbed his injured head. "Why'd you do that!"

"Because you almost quit! You seriously thought of giving up? Not my Zero! Not the one I know!"

Zero almost smiled, "Yeah. . . I suppose your right." the heartfelt came back ten fold, unknown to the oblivious Sukui.

Yuuki giggled and smiled at Sukui, and the girl realized her statement, and threw her hands up in frustration.

"DAMN IT! I CAN'T WIN."

# # # #

**I had lots of fun with this ^^ I hope Sukui has kind of settled into her personality. She's met to be assertive and outspoken, yet shy. Intelligent, and agile as you will see in other chapters ^^ plus, her huge set back. Like her temper, and the sailor tongue she seems to have. ^^**

**Yupp, that's my OC. xD**

**Now review please? :D**


	19. Crimson Maze

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title synonymous with episode title. **

**Now this episode should only be one chapter long, because it doesn't cover that much. ^^; enjoy! **

**P.S.: Hopefully my twists fit well ^^;**

**P.P.S.: More details on Sukui in here as well, hope I managed to fit it in in a normal way ^^; if not, sorry! Just helping to create atmosphere.**

**P.S.S.S.: Semi-time skip. Just a few days so that it'll make more sense.**

# # # #

**19. Crimson Maze**

A few days after the second Yagari episode, Sukui and Zero were down training in the shooting range. Which Sukui thought was cool. A school with a shooting range. . .

"Shoot that gun!" she called to Zero, teasing him as she began training of her own invention.

Zero's vein puffed up in his head again, causing yet another migraine. Sukui being alive was great and all, but she was still the annoying outspoken little girl he'd grown up with. Though, he turned and watched her and she went back from teasing him to practice on a stuffed dummy in the corner, she did seem a little reserved still as well. How deceiving.

She delivered three shift kicks to the side of the neck of the dummy, and then slashed with her dagger, then tried for a sweep kick, and swiped the dagger across the dummy again. She struck it in where the throat would be with her palm straight out, then cut it down once more, making a slit deep enough that the beans in the sack person began to fall out. She had definitely adapted better to Kaito's teaching of mixed martial arts then Zero's shooting practices from when they were younger.

Being short as well, she had that in advantage. Shapely in the legs and arms, and practically flat as a board in the torso. Zero sighed and turned back to his target, firing three more shots into the lung area.

"Yowch. Kill them mercifully at least."

Sukui was leaning against one of the side bars right next to him, sipping from a water bottle. She ran a hand through her pixie cut brown hair, her forehead shining with sweat. "I mean, sure they suck, but at least send them to hell with a swiftness."

"I'm just trying to react to different situation, you can't always aim for the head or heart depending on what's happening around you." he commented. Sukui nodded slowly, and a light tapping came from the stairwell. Yuuki poked her head into the room, "Hey Sukui, Zero."

Zero responded merely by firing a shot.

Sukui rolled her eyes and strode up to Yuuki, "Hey Princess, what's up?" Yuuki almost rolled her eyes at the very Headmaster Cross-like comment of her name, and continued, "It's about Kaname. . ."

"Oh yeah, the pureblood you dig."

Yuuki's face was beyond pink, "I don't like Kaname. . . He just saved my life and. . . Anyways, I don't know what to do about him. I'm afraid . . . Again."

"What do you mean again?"

"Well, when I was younger. . . I was afraid of him. . ."

Sukui nodded, "What is the point of bringing all of this up to me Princess? I know we're friends and you can talk to me about this stuff, but I really just don't understand." Yuuki scratched the back of her head and sighed a bit, "Well. . . Erm. . . I better leave you to training! See you!" then she turned and walked away before Minami could say another word.

The girl looked after in slight worry, but forcibly pushed it away to get back to training.

# # # #

_**Flashback - Yuuki's POV**_

"_This is Zero, his parents got killed by a bad vampire Yuuki, be gentle with him."_

_Younger Yuuki took Zero's hand. His neck was covered in blood, and his beautiful lavender eyes were washed out and dead. "I'll clean you up okay?" Yuuki said quietly, to which Zero said nothing back._

# # # #

"_An academy for vampires and humans? Are you crazy!"_

_Zero was thoroughly irritated with who he thought to be the idiotic man who had taken him in, Kaien Cross. Cross nodded, "I'm trying to make a world where we can live together peacefully! It will work! I know it will."_

"_You're an idiot!"_

_Yuuki watched as disgruntled Zero stormed away. Kaien stared seriously after him, somewhat sad. "I knew this would be hard for him, but hopefully one day he will understand." _

# # # #

_After the very first day of this new school Kaien wanted, Yuuki searched for Kaname. Unfortunately she found him, drinking the blood of an ashen haired female, Ruka Souen. Yuuki ran away, disgusted and afraid._

_**End Flashback, Regular POV commences**_

"There she is." Sukui commented, after she and Zero had looked for the disgruntled Cross girl. She was passed out on the bench just a few yards outside the shooting range, breathing heavily in her sleep. "She really does work too hard." Zero nodded, "I could handle the whole rounds if she would let me."

Sukui shook her head, "You need sleep too moron." Sukui tapped her chin and grinned. "You know, maybe I should help both of you out. I'll ask Headmaster if I can join up with the prefects!" Zero twitched, "I deal with you enough during the day time."

_**Thwap!**_

Zero rubbed the back of his head agitatedly as Sukui readjusted her thigh holster after smacking him with it.

"These are the people I trust my Yuuki with."

"Kuran."

"Kaname."

Zero and Sukui said his name almost simultaneously, as the pureblood strode up to them slowly. The night made him appear eerie, like a man made out of fog coming forward. "What is she doing, sleeping out here?"

"She was waiting for us." Sukui stated, monochrome eye narrowed. "You know, the only reason Zero is still alive when he is so dangerous, Sukui, is because he's a shield for Yuuki. The only reason I haven't kill him." Zero growled, "I am perfectly capable of fighting you!"

Kaname smiles condescendingly, "but you won't, not if it would hurt Yuuki. Which leads me to my previous statement. You are here to protect her." Sukui glares evenly at the pureblood, "And me? Where do I fit in this little game of yours?" the condescending smile lifted even more, "Every Knight needs a Knightess. Correct?"

Sukui's blood ran cold, and her heart sped up for a second. Before she bared her fangs, "Just back away Kuran."

"Whatever you say."

The pureblood strode away rather gracefully, and Sukui's eyes were crimson in her rage. "Damn pureblood!" she also mentally chastised herself, for not asking about what he knew on Shizuka.

"We need to take Yuuki to the dorms."

"I'll take care of it, then meet you for our rounds, GUARDIAN BUDDY." Sukui smiled mischievously, and Zero scratched the back of his head and grumbled. "Shit."

# # # #

**I couldn't help but end this humorously, because things are gonna get TENSE.**


	20. The Ring Of Burden

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title same-ish as episode title. **

**Now this one might be a little odd, because heck, it was difficult to arrange! Hope I did alright! ^^;**

# # # #

**20. The Ring Of Burden**

"I canNOT believe we get to drag an aristocrat's sorry ass out of this school!"

Sukui fist pumped, all dressed up in her uniform, now with a prefect badge fastened tightly to her forearm. "Best beginning mission _ever_." Just behind her, Yuuki spared a short laugh, and Zero, being the usual stick in the mud, focused strictly on the Night Class gates in front of them, though his lip did quiver a bit.

Kaname, who was holding on to Ichiou, the man being kicked out, nodded shortly at Sukui and Zero, and gave a small smile to Yuuki as they strode up to him. "Thank you for escorting him off of the premises."

Yuuki bowed, "No problem, Kaname!" Sukui rolled her eyes and Zero snorted, as the two hunters grabbed the man's arms, and Yuuki led the way. Ichiou had a really light haired full head of hair and beard, extremely pale, and wore a ridiculous red cape.

"Remember what I said." Kuran uttered, just as he turned and went back into the dorms. Sukui growled, "Stupid pureblood."

"One should not speak of Lord Kuran so informally, underling." Ichiou uttered in passing, his voice cool and monotonous. Sukui felt a revulsion in her stomach, and had to resist throwing up. He sounded like a pedophile! It's no wonder they had him booted from the scene.

"Lord Kuran is amazing, it was no wonder a being such as I was cast from his presence and denied his blood."

Sukui, once again, resisted a stomach convulsion before commenting. "Pureblood blood is taboo dude, no wonder they kicked you out." Ichiou looked at her darkly, "How do you know any of this, underling." Sukui bared her fangs, her eyes flashing briefly. "Because Shizuka Hio murdered my mother and changed me into one of _you_."

"Look forward."

Zero gave a sharp squeeze to the aristocrat's arm, causing him to face forward. He shot a look at the Minami girl, almost asking her if she was alright it seemed. Sukui sighed and nodded, and they faced forward again as they pulled the blond vampire into the Headmaster's office.

"Oh Ichiou," the Headmaster tsked him, wagging a finger at him, "I expected better from you." the man snorted, as Headmaster turned to Zero. "Oh! And Zero, the Hunter's Association has a mission for you, a Level E that has already killed four girls is loose in the town, be sure to find it?"

Zero nodded, gave Yuuki and Sukui a parting glance, and left.

"Sukui, would you mind continuing to escort Ichiou out of here?" Headmaster asked kindly, sort of going slow as not to be attacked, "He has a limousine coming for him at the front gates in about thirty minutes."

_I get to babysit an aristocrat? Dreams do come true. _she thought sarcastically, before sighed. "Yes Headmaster, I will get Ichiou to his destination safely." Headmaster nodded and thanked her, "You are doing well for your first prefect duties! Off with you then!" Sukui exchanged goodbyes with Yuuki and took Ichiou out and down the pathway leading towards the front gates.

"So, underling . . ."

"My _name_." Sukui hissed, "Is Sukui."

"Alright then, Sukui. Your male counterpart back there, seemed awful angry that I antagonized you. There is a reason behind that I presume?" Ichiou asked in amusement, allowing the short girl to lead him forward. Sukui twitched, "Well, he's never been in the habit of allowing people to be harassed by vampires."

"I think there was a little more to it than that."

The girl rolled her eyes and ignored him, as she pushed through the front two gates of the school. The cobblestone road ahead of them was empty, so the girl rocked back and forth on her heels to entertain herself.

"I do believe that you are naïve." Ichiou persisted after a not-long-enough-for-Sukui's-liking-type of silence. Sukui rolled her eyes, "Oh? And how would I be?" Ichiou laughed heartily, "You will find out, little one."

_Ugh, pedophile._

Finally, the sleek black car drove in, and a doorman walked out and opened the door for the man. "Good luck, little vampire. In all of your future endeavors." he winked and then left. Sukui did a strange movement, that consisted of her stomach trying to expel her lunch and her entire body being sent in a grossed out wave.

"Damn, that is the last time I speak to that man!" she whispered to herself, going back through the gates. She went directly back to Headmaster's office to berate him for that bone chilling walk when she heard him on the phone.

"Yes, umm hmm, yes."

"I got the paperwork, they will both start tomorrow!"

"Umm hmm, yeah!"

"Maria Kurenai is all set up for school!"

Shivers wrecked through Sukui once more.

"M-Maria Kurenai. . ."

Whatever the reason was for the revulsion that she was feeling all over again, she hoped it was just Ichiou and his pedophilic vibe.

# # # #

Omake

(Sukui becoming a prefect)

"What an excellent idea!"

Cross, with his hands clasped together and his fingers twined, tipped on one foot in a dreamy-like position, smiled. "Sukui, you working with my dearest Yuuki and my darling son Zero is a great idea! You know about the vampires in the Night Class, and you are a Hunter and a vampire! Oh joyous day!"

Sukui stood completely still in bewilderment while Cross pulled out a white and red armband with the emblem of the school on it. As he fastens the band around her, he makes a ceremony out of it of course. Sukui glares at Zero as he stands, shaking, lips pursed and eyes sparkling, with Yuuki full out laughing next to him.

Sukui almost smiled at the simplicity, almost smiled at the look on Zero's face. She wondered how long it had been since he'd laughed, since he'd smiled. She could imagine it to have been a really long time.

"With this badge, I make you! Sukui Minami, a prefect of Cross Academy! Protect the Day and Night Class in equality! And make sure Zero does not shoot anybody!" the Headmaster brought her back to reality with his funny little speech, that actually made Sukui's lip twitch in an effort not to smile.

"Hey!"

Sukui grinned broadly at that and aimed it at Zero, "Oh I think I can do that!"

"Meeting adjourned!"

Sukui wore the badge with pride, all the while teasing Zero. "Be sure the safety's on sharp shooter!"

"Ouch! Zero!"

# # # #

**I did this differently so that Sukui would get an individual role, and so I didn't screw with the original plot quiet as bad ^^ review please!**


	21. Scarlet Gaze

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title is revised off of the episode title. **

# # # #

**21. Scarlet Gaze**

"Oh my gosh! I call dancing with Shiki-kun!"

"Well I want Aido-kun!"

"RUKA IS ALL MINE!"

"ALL OF YOU SHUT YA DAYUM FACES!"

The raving crowd of Cross Academy Day Classes students had Sukui angry. She and Yuuki were dealing with the crowds hording around the Night Class doorways, and needless to say, it was taxing the temperamental girl's nerves. "I get it! You freaking love the Night Class! Hurray! Now BACK UP!"

Reluctantly and rather angrily, the Day Class pulled back a bit. "I am going to beat Zero upside his head if he does not hurry his stickin' . . ."

_**Thwack! **_

"Ow!"

"That's what you get!" the ornery silver haired teen muttered, the vein still puffed in his head as he starting helping with the mob. Sukui rubbed her injured head and grumbled to herself as she fended everyone off. Out of the corner of her eye, Sukui saw Aido grab Yuuki, and grumbles.

"Getting kidnapped aye? Not gonna happen!" so Sukui left her crowd of fan girls to mob Zero as she closed in on Yuuki and Aido. She couldn't help but smile a bit, "Revenge! Muahaha!"

The Day Class that was still keeping an eye on Yuuki all groaned and moaned in jealousy as the doors smacked shut in their faces. Sukui weaved through seamlessly into the mosh pit, though she could not get through the doors due to the crushing horde of fan girls, so Sukui just rested her head against the door, trying to listen in.

"Yuuki. . ."

_Ugh. Kuran. _Sukui's lip curled upward in disgust, but she listened closer all the same. "Do not push yourself."

_That's it. I am getting smashed by desperate girls for Kuran to tell Yuuki not to push herself. _Sukui snorted a bit angry, but then sighed. _Sadly. He does have a point. Now, if I could get this huge crowd to back off so that I could get the talk with Kuran. . ._

She hadn't forgotten that the pureblood had valuable information for her, she just hadn't found a window of time opportune enough to get all the time she needed to find out. If she could get in now, before he goes to Night Class, maybe it'd be enough time. Maybe. .

"ALRIGHT BACK UP!"

_Crap. I forgot I left Zero with most of the fan girls. He's gonna kill me. _The crowd parted instantly, and they all gave up and headed to their dorms, still happily talking about the Day/Night Class Ball. The Minami faced the obviously infuriated Zero and mentally barred herself just in case.

"Thanks for making sure Yuuki's alright."

Sukui blinked in confusion.

Aforementioned Cross girl came out of the building, Aido trailing after her. No Kuran. "Shit." Sukui complained, "So close."

Yuuki looked shyly at the two of them. "I'm sorry. I didn't help with crowd control.."

"It's fine Yuuki, just no getting kidnapped." Zero drawled.

Yuuki nodded, her cheeks a bit pink. "A-alright. Sorry."

Sukui analyzed the interactions with wonder. Was this. . . Did they like each other? Sukui's heart twisted painfully at the thought. She pushed back from that stubbornly, she didn't feel that way about Zero, she didn't care.

A Day Class student who had returned waited for the end of Zero's spiel and tentatively walked up to Yuuki. "Headmaster asked me to tell you he needs you in his office." Yuuki nodded, "Well alright, Sukui? Zero?"

"I'll come."

"I'll go to the shooting range."

Zero and Yuuki shared a look and turned to Sukui, "You can come you know." Sukui nodded, "Yeah, I know. I just feel like I need some practice today, is all." Truth was, her stomach was clinching and flipping and tightening. She felt like going was not a smart idea. Zero looked for a second with concern, that quickly seized up again.

"He said soon."

The quiet little Day Class girl was still there, waiting for Yuuki and Zero. "Well okay. See you later Sukui!" Yuuki followed after the girl, and Zero stayed put. "Aren't you going with?" Sukui pried, eyes questioning. Zero sighed, "I can't leave you alone to get lost on your way to the range, now can I?"

Sukui was getting mixed signals.

Once again, she banished the thought. She was overanalyzing things, she was making something out of nothing.

The girl twitched indignantly at Zero's words, "Hey! . . . Yeah ok." she sighed in defeat, as Zero walked ahead of her and lead her in the right direction. She couldn't help but smile to herself, like really smile, this was something he used to do definitely. "You know, if you were worried you should have said so."

Zero scoffed, "Worried? Why would I be worried."

"Well maybe. . ." Sukui almost clammed up, but she pushed forward. "You could feel _my_ worry."

She and he hadn't spoken of that day at all since it happened. The mere mention of it was enough to make Zero cringe in self-loathing before he replied. "Yes. Yes I did."

Silence ensued until they actually made it to the range, slipping down the stairs. "Why do you think the Headmaster wanted us?"

Zero shrugged as he went to prepare a target within the range. "I'm not sure, something about new students?"

Sukui froze, remembering the call from yesterday. The freezing she had felt at the strange name. Maria Kurenai.

"Zero. . ."

"Yeah?"

He'd gotten out of the range and stood in front of her, she almost blushed at how close he was, even though there was two feet between them. Why on Earth was she feeling that way? Someone really must have laced her tablets, and good too. Must have been the strong American stuff they talked about over the airways. "The new students. . . I don't have that good of a feeling. . ."

"You too huh?"

Zero's voice was soft at admitting his fear, and Sukui was shocked. "Umm, well, yes." she responded. "Why so . . . Open all of the sudden?"

"Can't I be open in front of my best friend?"

Sukui's heart jolted, he still considered them best friend after all the time they'd been apart? _Moron. _she mentally scolded herself, _All the time he thought you were dead for one thing, and for another, you've been back for almost 3 weeks now._

"Can't I?"

Zero asked the question again, his arms crossed. Sukui scratched the back of her head. "You can. . Its just been awhile." Zero actually rolled his eyes at her, rolled his eyes! Sukui blinked in alarm, as Zero let out a short snort. "Oh Sukui, clueless as always."

The vein in Sukui's forehead puffed up, "Hey!"

Zero smiled then, and Sukui's heart seemed to stop beating entirely. Had his smile always been that charming? Dashing? Handsome? She tried to shake herself out of these thoughts, but she hadn't seen him smile in a long time.

He was SMILING.

Who wouldn't stare in awe?

Even people who couldn't see would stare in awe!

Sukui turned abruptly and went to her test dummy, her face heating up substantially, her cheeks a dusty rose pink to a ruby red in ten seconds flat.

# # # #

"Hey! Sukui!"

Sukui had been sitting on one of the scattered benches in the courtyard, flipping through her physics book when Yuuki called out to her. Who knew, amongst constant turmoil, she could sit down and do her homework. She certainly didn't. "Hey Yuuki." she mumbled, not looking up as the girl's footsteps, and some others trotted in front of her, "How're you?"

"I'm just taking the new student on a tour! The other one wasn't there, but I've got one of them!"

Sukui froze entirely, "Oh?" she forced out, "Is that what Headmaster wanted you for?"

"Yeah! Care to meet her?"

"Hello! Sukui is it?"

Sukui's blood ran cold, as she gingerly set the book down as if she was thawing, and she looked Maria Kurenai in the eyes with her single eye. "You must be Maria." she uttered monotonously, "Welcome to Cross Academy."

The girl smiled, "Thank you!" and bowed, silver hair bobbing. She was about an inch taller than Sukui, making her as tall as Yuuki. Her skin was fair, and her eyes were a cutting and cold lavender eyes.

Though she knew, without a doubt that this girl was no "Maria Kurenai"

She was Shizuka Hio.

_How dare you mock them! _she thought bitterly, staring into the "girl's" eyes. _How dare you!_

Maria smiled, almost as if she had heard.

# # # #

**Yes, I split it in two here. Please don't kill me!**


	22. Pandemonium Downloading

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**This chapter title is inspired by the crap that is about to go down!**

# # # #

**22. Pandemonium Downloading. . .**

It was night time, the stars blaring fiercely in the sky. Not a cloud to be seen. Sukui Minami did her patrols, all the while completely and utterly distracted. _She's here. Shizuka Hio is here_. She thought, _I have to tell Zero. I have to warn him. I have too._

"Sukui!"

Yuuki called out to her for the second time that day. She hopped down agilely from a tree in front of her, and stood. Brushing the dirt off of her skirt. "Have you seen Zero?" Sukui shook her head negative, "I am looking for him too, no sign of him."

Yuuki sighed, "He needs to stop going out on his own."

Sukui sighed in agreement, and the duo went looking for him together.

They checked the courtyard, around the Headmaster's house. Weaving through trees and ducking around the stone structures everywhere, passing the pool, pacing the fountain. . .

"Hey! I see him." Sukui piped. The silver haired boy was leaning against a tree on the second floor terrace, looking back and forth, doing his rounds. He heard the two of their voices and turned to them as they walked up to him. Yuuki smacked him on the back, "You're still on duty you know! Don't go hiding from us!" she joked, though her eyes were far from lighthearted.

Sukui nodded, "Zero, would you _please_ stop running off." she sighed and scratched the back of her head, "You worry Princess a bit too much to get away with it."

"I didn't intend too, sorry Yuuki, Sukui." Zero droned, nodding to each, "Just doing my rounds."

Yuuki nodded as well, "At least let us know next time."

Zero nodded again.

Things almost got silent, until some bounding footsteps came and hopped onto Sukui's back. "Hello Yuuki! Sukui!" piped the deceivingly cheerful and kind little girl voice.

"Maria! You should be in class right now!" Yuuki put in.

"Oh but it was so boring." Maria giggled.

Sukui was beyond disgusted that the woman was perched on her back, and Zero must have seen it, because he raised his gun and aimed it right for the girl's head, ready to fire.

"Zero!" Yuuki exclaimed, standing in front of Maria and Sukui, "You can't just point a gun at someone for no reason!"

Zero looked torn for a second, eyes flashing from Yuuki's garnet ones to Sukui's moon-like silver one. _Shoot! _Sukui mouthed, _shoot! It's her! SHOOT!_

But he didn't.

Zero lowered the gun and put it away.

"Thanks Yuuki for saving me! You too Sukui!" she chorused in false happiness, and then she smiled very cruelly down on Sukui, "I think we'll be good friends, don't you?" she then pecked Sukui on the head, hopped down and skipped away.

"Umm, if you'll excuse me." Sukui began, shaking, "I am going to take a really, really, really long shower." Yuuki reached out to stop her, but Zero lightly pulled her hand away, unknown to the very paralyzed Minami.

And with that, Sukui walked away.

# # # #

She wasn't two feet from the Girls Dorms when she heard the footsteps running to catch her.

"Yuuki, I just really need to be . . ."

"Alone?"

Sukui paused before the doorknob of the dorms, that wasn't Yuuki. She turned to Zero and saw him standing there, tapping his foot. It looked impatient, but she was starting to know better. Without using his eyes or words, he was trying to show her he was worried.

"Zero. It's her." she whispered. "It's Shizuka. She's here."

Zero sighed, "I thought so too, but I'm really not that sure. . ."

"You've got a blood bond with her too, you've gotta feel it too." Sukui squeaked, "It's her. She was on my back." she squirmed and clutched her stomach. "Oh hell, she was touching me. She touched me." Zero stepped up to Sukui and somewhat awkwardly ruffled her hair, "We'll get the information, if its her, we'll find out okay?"

_Is it because of my blood that I know for sure? _Sukui thought. _What is going on!_

"Okay Zero, thanks."

"We'll meet up sometime tomorrow."

"You are going to class right? I was serious earlier. Yuuki was too."

Zero sighed, "Alright alright, I'll go to class."

Sukui nods and smiles slightly, "Thanks for checking on me."

Zero's lips turned up a millimeter, "Sure." and then he turned on his heels and continued to do his rounds. She smiled small to herself, and then turned inside to the dorms.

# # # #

"You better not fail this test Yuuki!" the Day Class Rep. (who's name Sukui did not bother remembering because he annoyed her) exclaimed, "I won't be able to dance with Ruka if you do!" his glasses gleamed menacingly. Apparently, if the Day Class got a bad overall score on some exam, they would have to work the ever exciting mash-up ball. Sukui snorted as Yuuki rose to defend herself, flailing her arms in a very comical fashion, "Hey wait a second! Zero and Sukui have difficulty in class too!"

"Well I don't know about Sukui, but I don't" Zero deadpanned from his usual backseat, were as Sukui and Yuuki were sitting next to Sayori. "I study and do the work." Yuuki looked to Sukui for help, as the Class Rep. stood still baring down on her. "Sorry Princess," the Minami girl sighed, "I'm a pretty average student."

"Aww come on!"

As the crazy brown haired boy flounced away, Yori tried to reassure her strange friend. "You'll do great Yuuki. No need to get so nervous."

"But I haven't studied."

Sukui giggled to herself a bit, as Yuuki fussed over the test and Yori did her best to calm her down, to no avail.

After the review that the class was given in preparations for the oh-so-important exams the next day, Yuuki, Sukui, and Zero all went to head to Headmaster's for a lunch that Sukui would make. "I am not eating another night of his poison." she complained, feigning sickness. Yuuki laughed, and Zero rolled his eyes, and they continued towards the loony guardians living quarters.

"Maria! Wait!"

Takuma, the blonde, over-perky vice president of the Night Class went blurring by, Maria Kurenai just in front of him. Sukui grumbled, Zero tensed up, and Yuuki scratched the back of her head in worry, "Should I go help him?"

"Well I sure as hell am not." Sukui spat, "Just stay far from Maria, alright?" Yuuki nodded as Zero gazed at her with Sukui's same expression, "Alright, if you are that adamant about it."

"Yuuki!" Hanabusa came out of nowhere, hugging her from behind. "Give us a hand would you?" Yuuki nodded, "I was about to before you. . ."

"Oh great, NOW she's with Idol-sempai!"

"There will be hell to pay."

The trio, plus Aido's, eyes went absolutely wide. Fan girls.

"Ahhh!" Yuuki went hurtling after Takuma, the mass of crazed girl chasing after her. Too focused on destroying the Cross girl to notice the bewildered Hanabusa left behind. "Your fans are homicidal!" Sukui commented, flailing her arms a bit like Yuuki had earlier.

"Trust me, I know." croaked Hanabusa, still in a bit of shock. Then Zero and Sukui got serious, it was almost too perfect that they were able to have some time with Aido to talk about Maria, to see if Shizuka had anything to do with her. Well, never looked a gift horse in the mouth, right?

"Hanabusa." Zero started, "Does Maria have any affiliation with the pureblood vampire, Shizuka Hio?" Aido took a deep breath and scratched the back of his blonde head, blue eyes troubled. "Well shouldn't you know? You have blood ties with her." he then turned to Sukui, "Don't you too?"

Sukui twitched, "Damn that Kuran, is my personal information for sale?"

It was Hanabusa's turn to make spastic hand movements, "No no! I actually sort of eavesdropped. . ."

"Eh hem, anyway, she certainly does look like her doesn't she?" he continued, "You're telling me you feel something?"

Sukui held her arm with her other hand, crossing it in front of her torso, "Yes."

Aido's eyes became serious, "Well then, you've got to come to the dorms tonight."

The Minami girl blinked in confusion.

"Kaname told me that if you were to sense her here, that he wanted to speak with you as soon as possible."

_Finally_, Sukui thought, _I can talk to him about her. Perfect timing._

Zero stood in silence, obviously not pleased, as Sukui nodded, "Alright, I will be sure to go."

# # # #

**This episode will be 3 chapters xD as you can see.**


	23. May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**This chapter title is inspired by Kaname's love of games.**

# # # #

**23. May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor**

"I do not like this at all."

"Then you didn't have to come walk me here now did you, Old man?"

Zero twitched, vein in his neck puffing up, "Just because my hair is silver. And I wanted to come because I don't trust these guys with anything, let alone you."

Sukui found herself slightly flattered, but hid it, she wouldn't give her grumpy pal Kiryu the satisfaction. "Well I can defend myself you know."

Yuuki, who had remained virtually silent during the bickering chose this time to let out a slight giggle. "You two sound like an old married couple."

"I'd rather go in there in place of her." Zero replied instantaneously

"And I'd rather marry Kaito." Sukui retorted easily.

Yuuki continued to laugh at their instant reactions, but then stopped. "We're here."

Sukui took a deep breath and gave her two fellow prefects a short wave, "Here I go." she then turned on her heel and pushed inside the heavy metal gates.

"Sukui-chan, pleasure as always."

"Takuma."

The vice president's green eyes glimmered with mirth as he took Sukui's hand and brought her forward. "I've been meaning to ask you, but haven't gotten the chance. What with the wild fan girls, and the first time we met was less then savory."

Sukui nodded, right after Yuuki learned what a Level E was. "Ask away."

"Why does Kaname-sama seem so fascinated with you?"

Sukui blinked, "Fascinated? I thought he was fascinated with Princ. . .erm, Yuuki?"

Takuma nodded, "Oh he is, without a doubt. I wanna know why he's fascinated with you. If he would have seen anyway one else in a dumpster, he probably wouldn't have stopped. But for you he did."

_Could it be because of my weird blood? _Sukui wondered, _Shizuka maybe? My Hunter family origins? My family origins period? _

"I have about as much of an idea as you do Takuma."

"I was afraid of that." he sighed, but smiled still. Weird guy. . . "Here we are."

Sukui looked in front of her and was startled to see an open door and Kaname Kuran playing with a chessboard. The whole room was a dark mahogany, and the only real light were the candles sitting all over his desk. "Umm, thanks Takuma." Apparently their conversation had been a lot longer than she'd thought, she hadn't even seen him open the very front door.

"Come in Sukui. Thanks Ichijou."

"No problem Kaname-sama." piped the perky blonde, as he bowed and walked away. Sukui strode into the room, and shut the door behind her as soon as Kaname asked her too. This was serious.

She took a seat in the ornate velvet arm chair that was just in front of him and waited patiently.

"I have told Ichijou to deal with Maria, so there is no need to take any action." he uttered coolly, "Shizuka is no longer your problem, Sukui." Sukui's eyebrows hitched up her face, almost comically disappearing under her hair line. "Erm, Kuran? I must have misheard you." she took her pinky and twisted into her ear as if she was clearing away some sort of blockage. The vein in her forehead was beginning to puff up a bit, as Sukui desperately tried to contain her temper so that she could get the information she needed.

"And you, Miss Minami, must be deaf." Kaname deadpanned, brown eyes washed out, cold, emotionless. Sukui felt like she was talking to a robot off of one of those silly movies, "I said that Shizuka does not concern you any longer."

_**Shwing!**_

Sukui's dagger was lodged in Kaname's marble chessboard. "You can't just tell me my mother's murderer is not. my. _problem_." she'd finally snapped, quaking with anger and glaring at the pureblood male in disgust. He had expected this reaction from her. Kaname looked up after a barely discernable sigh, eyes filled with no emotion in any sense of the word, "Shizuka is a pureblood. You do not stand a chance."

"She killed my mother! Zero's family, who had taken me in! It doesn't matter if I don't stand a chance! I will give my life to destroy her!"

"Insolent girl."

A level of anger had broken Kaname's decorum. It shocked Sukui, and when she faltered, her knife was taken out of the game board he had placed before him. "Your mother was not killed by Shizuka."

"Because that woman was not your mother."

# # # #

**OH SNAP! :O**

**Review ;)**


	24. Lady Of Blood

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**This chapter title is edited from episode title. As usual :D**

**Well, there won't be chapter 25 till next weekend, hope you enjoyed all of the updates this weekend though, thank parent teacher conference! **

# # # #

**24. Lady Of Blood**

_Because that woman was not your mother._

_Because that woman was not your mother._

"_Mommy, don't leave me!"_

Sukui jolted up, gasping. That wretched nightmare had been plaguing her every moment she shut her eyes, and when she was too exhausted, she was trapped inside of it for hours on end till she'd gotten enough sleep. She had also skipped school that morning of school, because of the previous night's events.

_Because that woman was not your mother. _

"_Mommy, don't leave me!"_

Kaname's voice, and her childhood scream for help rang through her ears.

She laid back down, not wanting to go to rounds as she clutched her head in pain. But it wouldn't be fair to leave Yuuki and Zero with all the work, what with Shizuka prowling around the school grounds in a little girl's skin.

_**Flashback**_

"_Ichiru! Be safe! Don't study too hard!"_

_Fourteen year old Sukui waved goodbye to the younger of the two Kiryu twins, as he headed to his friend's house that fateful night._

"_I will! Good luck practicing your piano!"_

"_Thanks!"_

_Then she went inside._

_**Flashback Ends**_

"The hell?" Sukui questioned herself breathlessly, "Why'd I remember that?" she growled and grumbled to herself as she rolled off of the bed and put her eye patch back on. "Stupid Shizuka, stupid Kuran, stupid stupid!" she grumbled, as she pushed open the door and wrapped her holster around her thigh, trotting down the stairs.

No sooner had she opened the very front door than Zero stood in front of her, Yuuki just behind. "We were about come get you! Ready?"

Sukui nodded, and followed the two other prefects to the usual round route. Mind still very much glued to her bad dreams and everything they meant. She sat herself down on the brick edge of the second floor terrace and stared out to the moon, rolling her dagger through hands.

"Why are things so friggin' quiet?" Sukui exclaimed, as she sharpened the weapon on the stones. "Well, not much happens during rounds in all reality." Yuuki called from below, "It's only been hectic lately."

Sukui grunted in agreement, and silence fell again.

The moon shone silvery over head, the stars twinkling, everything was way too quiet.

"Yuu. . ."

Suddenly she stiffened, as a smell tickled her nose. "Hello Yuuki!" came Maria's awful, condescending voice. Instantly, Sukui was jumping from the terrace to Yuuki's side, just as "Maria" reached to touch the Cross girl's face. "Maria, you should be taking exams." Zero growled coldly. Maria simply smiled, "I suppose your right, just had to see little Yuu-yuu!" she smiled pointedly, her canines sharp, and scarlet flickering through her gaze.

Sukui laid down her dagger, gently just above the girl's hand that Zero had a grip on. "I suggest you leave, Maria. And do your school work." Kurenai gave her a smirk, that sent shivers rocketing through her, like a thousand hands were crawling inside her.

"Alright, goodbye!"

She giggled and then disappeared. The Minami girl sheathed her knife, all the while trying to retain her composure. _That little. . ._

"I'm telling you this one more time Yuuki, stay away from Maria."

Zero's words came out clipped, and Sukui could tell that the talk with Hanabusa had confirmed it for him, she was here. Yuuki nodded patiently, though it was obvious she was super confused, _What's wrong with Maria?_

Sukui could see that thought in the girl's chocolate eyes.

"Well, its half past one, and all of the Day Class should be asleep by now!" Yuuki piped up, "Let's go study for the exams, so Class Rep doesn't attack . . ." The poor girl scratched the back of her head, and Sukui let out a snort.

"Yeah, wouldn't want that now would we?" Zero and Yuuki shook their heads, and the trio headed straightway for Headmaster Cross's to start.

# # # #

As Zero asked Yuuki several boring questions about varying school subjects, Sukui laid upside down on the couch. Her short, brown hair barely fell, the bangs the only thing flopping down. Her eye patch was completely exposed, and she was more than tempted to take it off, but the eye would probably distract the head-in-the-clouds Yuuki, as Sukui had come to learn.

She giggled as Zero and the Cross girl got into another argument about concentration.

"Yuuki! Do you want to get yelled at by Class Rep?"

"I'm trying!"

Sukui kicked her feet up, flipping slowly from the couch and landed on her butt next to the duo, "You two are working really hard," she smirked at Yuuki, who actually rolled her eyes but smiled, "So would you like something? Coffee?" Zero and the Cross girl nodded, "Yes please, and an icepack."

Sukui rose an eyebrow, "Icepack?"

"For my neck, it's burning a bit and maybe my head too." Zero uttered somewhat monotonously, though he shot a slight smirk at Yuuki, who returned it with an agitated pout. Sukui smiled a bit and nodded, standing up and stepping over the piles of books, paper, folders, etc. "Alright," she called over her shoulder, "Two coffees and an icepack comin' lickity split!"

As the enigmatic girl skipped out of the room and entered the kitchen, she turned on the coffee pot and pulled out the packets from one of the beige cabinets, humming as she did so. The arguing from earlier had stopped, making the place really quiet. Sukui did not like that, at all. But before she could yell to declare this fact, someone interrupted her.

"Hey."

Zero's voice was just behind her, and she realized why it was that the fighting had stopped. He'd given Yuuki some work to figure out and came into the kitchen. "Erm, Zero . . . Did you come to tell me you want creamer?"

A soft laugh came from him, and she felt him take her hand, and twine his fingers through hers. "Thank you so much Sukui, for helping me."

"Zero its no big. . ."

"No. It is. I owe you big time, just say the word." he whispered, giving Sukui's hand one last squeeze, and he walked away. Weird, Zero being so sentimental all of the sudden.

Seconds later though, the bickering had began again. Sukui lifted her hand and stared at it, turning it. It was still warm, as if Zero hadn't even let go. Her face began to heat up with it, but with a full body jerk to snap herself out of it as she made the coffee and toted it out to the two still working and joined them.

# # # #

"Hey Sukui?"

The girl jolted awake, drool sticking sheets of paper to her face and sending the loose ones everywhere, the book just in front of her sliding off of the table and onto the floor. She had fallen asleep with Yuuki and Zero studying. Yuuki had given her a gentle shake and was just barely pulled her hand back. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot," Sukui yawned, stretched, each vertebra in her spine making an audible cracking sound, "Not literally." she joked, tapping her eye patch and giving the quiet Cross girl a cheeky smile. Yuuki smiled a bit, but then her face fell serious as she asked quietly, "Why does Maria bother you so much?"

Sukui looked to Zero, who was still asleep in the chair beside her, and turned back to Yuuki. "Why this all of the sudden?"

Yuuki knit her fingers together and laid her head on her hands, "Well, she just seems to bug you and Zero a lot. . ."

Sukui sighed, she didn't want to worry the poor girl with business that wouldn't really impact her, but she thought she might as well. Yuuki was Zero's friend too, and he needed, well they needed, all the help they could get with her. "She's the one who. . . Erm. . . Created me and Zero, and killed our families."

"She's just not in her own body."

The girl's eyes shimmered and shook as she stared in down right pity, which made Sukui bite back a snarl. Pity. It didn't get anybody anywhere. "No need to worry." Sukui continued for the poor girl's benefit, "Just go back to sleep."

She laid her head back into her History book and closed her eyes.

# # # #

**Second half of the episode is in next chapter, you know the drill. xD**


	25. Toys

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**I am releasing this chapter early for several reasons :D**

**1. It's the showing of Breaking Dawn Part 2 today, so duh :D**

**2. I felt like it.**

**Enjoy!**

# # # #

**25. Toys **

Waking up once more, and stretching, Sukui was alarmed to find that Zero wasn't next to her right side. "Where'd he go?" Yuuki asked softly, as the two girl's got up and started heading out of the Headmaster's office and into the darkening evening. "He's gotta be around here somewhere."

"Over there!"

Maria and Zero were staring each other down, as Yuuki and Sukui scampered up. Zero was a little scrapped up, while Maria had no marks at all. They'd been fighting. "Zero." Sukui hissed, "How'd this happen?"

"I sensed her heading our way, you would have too if you wouldn't have been in such a deep sleep." he drawled, the Bloody Rose gun pointed at the Night Class girl. "Oh silly Zero." Maria smiled, "and silly little Sukui. You can't kill your Master."

Both vampire-vampire hunters twitched and glared, and Maria leaned in to try and give Zero a kiss. A wave of sorts shot through Minami, and utterly disgusted, she back handed Maria as hard as her subordination would allow. "We are not your toys, Maria." she seethed, shaking. Yuuki held Artemis, her anti-vampire weapon rod as Sukui had found out, in front of her at full extension. Braced for anything.

Maria went in quick with a sharp jab towards Zero's stomach, in an uppercut that sent him up and then back as she kicked him. "Zero!" Sukui called, Yuuki shouting the exact same thing along with her. Then Sukui, whipping out her dagger, lunged at Maria, who went to do the same blow to Sukui. The hunter girl pivoted on her heel and cut shallowly on Kurenai's cheek.

That's when Maria brought down her fist on Sukui's head. "Too slow my dear child." she laughed sinisterly, as the black burbled and covered her vision and she passed out.

# # # #

Blinking, Sukui noticed the room she was in to be very white.

"Damn it Maria!" she cursed, "I'm in the freaking infirmary. THE INFIRMARY!" slightly outraged, Sukui took her head between her two hands and rubbed her temples. She looked all around the room, to the two solid oak doors and started to slowly get up when pain ricocheted up into her head.

"Ow ow ow ow." she whispered, "She must have given me a concussion." she massaged her temples once more. Realizing that the smooth material beneath her fingers was gauze. She sighed, but then stopped in the middle when she turned her head and saw Zero.

He was shirtless except for the gauze that wrapped around his stomach, he looked to be in a disturbed state of mind, his lip curling back and his head turning back and forth. He was having a nightmare. . .

Sukui, ignoring the stabbing pain, trotted slowly over to Zero, forcefully ignoring the years of training that had made him a very fit man as well, and focused on trying to wake him up. "Zero, Zero?"

The Kiryu continued to twitch, not hearing her. "Zero! Wake up, its just a dream. Its just a dream." as her speech became frantic, she took a deep breath and tried to think of what she could do to help him, but the tossing and turning was getting worse. "Umm, hush now little Zero?" Sukui sang awkwardly, taking her shaking hand and running it through his hair.

It was really soft, and Sukui found herself distracted quite instantly. She played with it, twisting the silver tendrils in between her fingers. Zero's breath caressing her hand as his nightmares appeared to have ended, he stopped twitching. . .

"Sukui, what're you doing?"

And apparently he woke up.

The girl jumped almost ten feet into the air, holding her hand to her chest as if it had burned her. "Umm you were having a nightmare and well I didn't know what to do so I . . .well . . . I mean Nikki used too . . . DAMN IT I CAN'T WIN!" Sukui sighed in agitation, throwing her hands up and sitting on her cot next to Zero's looking down immediately.

"It's okay Sukui. . .Thanks again. I owe you even more now."

She looked up, surprised at his words. "Oh well. . . That's alright."

Things shifted into a very uncomfortable silence, so Sukui attempted to break it by asking Zero, "What exactly were your nightmares about Zero?"

The silence was pregnant after that question, but Zero breathed softly and answered. "About the day I saw Shizuka in the tree with Ichiru, he told me later he thought she was pretty."

"He also asked if she was gonna get killed, and if I'd be able to hunt vampires. Then, I saw him next to Shizuka. . ." Zero sighed, "Then I woke up to your hand in my face." Sukui blush was positively furious, "Oh. . . I see."

"Speaking of which. . ."

Sukui looked in confusion at Zero's statement, but then she heard the door creak to a shut and she turned around to see another someone she'd thought was dead, as Zero must had known wasn't.

"Ichiru."

# # # #


	26. Reprieve Of Passion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter name edited off of episode title.**

# # # #

**26. Reprieve Of Passion **

"Ichiru."

His hair was long and hung down lower than Zero's, and he smiled warmly at Sukui. "Sukui, its wonderful to see you."

Then he turned to his twin.

"Zero."

"Ichiru."

The tension in the air could've been cut with a knife and sold to eat like one of those pies that Sukui was so overly fond of. Sukui swallowed, desperate to say something, to understand. What was Ichiru doing here now? Was everyone she thought was dead actually alive?

"Ichiru, why are you here?" Sukui whispered, honestly deathly afraid of the answer. A pit of dread had budded in her stomach, and when Ichiru answered, she knew why.

"I am allies with Shizuka. . . oh I'm sorry, Maria." the soft smile that came onto his face was unnatural, and it sent a nauseated feeling into the already flustered Minami girl. Zero growled, "Do you not remember what she did to our family? Sukui's family?" Sukui twitched in remembrance of many things at that statement. _Because that woman was not your real mother._

"Like it matters!" the former frail boy hollered, stopping the Minami girl's train of thought before it could start. Sukui noticed her pale skin looked more ivory than the sickly papery look he'd had at their younger age. His hair was shinier and his eyes were bright, and as he yelled at Zero, he did it with more voice than he'd ever had. "You were always the better one! Always! Mom and Dad thought so, Master thought so, Shizuka, even Sukui thinks so!"

The girl flinched, memories threatening to spring up, but she shrunk them back.

"I was so jealous of you Zero. But I'm not anymore. And I've actually come here to kill you. But. . ." Ichiru smiled once again, more sinister than anything, "If you serve Shizuka, you and Sukui, then I will not."

Sukui was seconds away from cussing Ichiru into oblivion, but Zero interrupted with a statement that hurtled the two boys into a fight instantly.

"I'm sorry I got you turned into a vampire, Ichiru."

They punched and lashed out at each other, until Zero blocked a punch and sunk to his knees, that tattoo on his neck glowed a ruby red. He was thirsty, and right there too in the middle of a fight with his long disappeared and obviously much stronger twin?

Sukui sprang up, finding her dagger in its holster. "Stay back Ichiru." she commanded, her voice so much stronger than a few minutes ago. She stood straight and tall, and her head didn't even hurt anymore. . . What was that about?

Ichiru laughed, and was about to say something when Yagari burst through the door. "Oh Toga-sensei," he spoke in that soft voice of his, that was now agitating because of the spite and malice hidden underneath, "Would you like to fight me too?"

Toga rolled his eye and took a drag on his cigarette that seemed ever present before pinching the flame out between his fingers and throwing it away, "No Ichiru, I have come to get Zero." Ichiru laughed once more, it was disgusting and it made Sukui want to punch him full throttle in his face.

"Well why not?"

"Because, you are one of my students, I may have not finished training you, but that is what you will always be."

"How dare you tell me that, liar!"

Furiously, Ichiru whipped out a katana and bolted for Toga. Zero was up in seconds and blocked Ichiru's strike. Ichiru flew back into Sukui, who landed hard with the younger Kiryu twin in her lap. His sword was flung high into the air and started falling directly for him. The Minami girl shoved him out of her lap and caught the katana by the hilt.

Everybody was panting super hard at the end of it all, even Yagari, because he was laughing and choked on the smoke he'd previously dragged on. "Very interesting Ichiru, you seem to be stronger than before." All Ichiru did in response to that compliment was glare with the most intense feeling of hatred Sukui had ever seen, yank the sword from her hand, and storm out.

"Well, Zero, Sukui, I guess I will be seeing you." Yagari breathed, "I came here to get you, but after that, I need to speak to Cross again." and with that, Toga swished out of the room in his long tan and brown trench coat. Sukui was feeling disoriented, everything had happened so fast that she'd gotten some kind of whiplash. But, pulling her self back to her feet, she went to her friend.

"Zero, are you alright?" Sukui asked, stepping slightly forward. Zero was looking down, and breathed heavily. Sukui then remembered why he had faltered the first time, and wasn't the least bit taken aback by the fiery red gaze that she was greeted with.

"Just don't make me pass out this time please." she whispered, as Zero took her in his arms and sank his teeth into her neck in no time flat.

# # # #

"Sukui-chan!" Yuuki rushed, racing up to the girl as her and Zero entered the room, "Zero! Are you two alright?!" the aforementioned two looked to each other in confusion, one would think Kaname would have erased the girl's memories so that she _wouldn't_ flip a widget when Maria attacked. Apparently, it hadn't worked and not seeing them for awhile had made it worse. Way to go Kuran.

"Yeah, we are good." Sukui said, tapping her brown haired head, gauze free. Sukui and Zero were all taken care of and suited up in their usual uniforms. "How's ball preparation going anyway? I thought we were gonna ace the exams and not have to do it." Sukui inquired.

Yuuki scratched the back of her sweating head and giggled nervously, "Umm yeah. . . Well here we are! Setting up is just fine, just really tedious, what with Class Rep cursing us all out for not getting good enough scores." Yuuki slumped over in a comical depression, and Sukui smiled, it was a wonder Kaien was only her _adopted_ father.

Minami patted her lightly on the back, "It's okay Princess. Class Rep's rage will boil over eventually."

And that it did.

After finishing all of the set up of decorations, music, and food, all of the Day Class students - mostly girls - rushed to their dorms to get all prettied up for the Night Class. Yuuki even grabbed a very surprised Sukui by the arm, "We're going shopping!" she chortled, "You are going to look great!" and when Sukui looked back pleadingly to Zero, he gave a small smile and tried not to laugh at the two petite brown haired girls left Cross and entered the town to go dress shopping.

"I don't wanna go!" Sukui whined the entire time, though of course, that didn't get her anywhere. Yuuki ended up getting herself a nice black dress that didn't make her so short or flat (the two girl's had that in common) and she found Sukui a dress that she actually. . . Liked.

It was a black knee length dress with no straps, a thick pink ribbon tied around the waist. The neck line dipped just a little bit, almost like a tease. The skirt ruffled out in lacy folds. And as Yuuki helped her in it as the three of them, Yori an addition, got ready for the ball, she felt more shy than usual.

"Do you think this is a bit too much skin?"

"Not with the knee length black lace up boots you are wearing with it." Yori commented, patting the female hunter on the back, "You look good." Yori wore a yellow dress with black spaghetti straps, and it flowed out at the ends. "Thanks Yori." Sukui murmured.

"How do I look?"

Sukui saw Yuuki all dressed up, not in the dress she'd bought, but in the white long sleeve dress that Kaname had apparently sent to Yuuki and Yori's room earlier. "I think you look beautiful Princess." Sukui grinned cheekily, and Yuuki gave her a hug around the neck and they both laughed. It was hard to think, in a moment like this, that things were hanging rather precariously.

Before Sukui could follow Yori out the door as the three began to leave Yuuki held her back and turned her around. She pushed back Sukui's bangs with some cleverly placed bobby pins so that her eye wouldn't hid in the shadows of her hair and then she attempted to take off the plain black eye patch. Sukui almost harshly backed away, "I'm sorry, I can't take it off. . ."

Yuuki looked almost sad, but then she smiled. "Well then, let's go!" Sukui nodded, and without another word, they headed to the dance hall in the center of the school grounds where the ball would be held.

# # # #

**Ball next chapter!**

**Something for visual if you would like xD**

**Sukui's dress: we heart it entry / #**

**(Remove spaces)**


	27. We're Gonna Have A Ball!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**100 reviews! Woohoo! Well 101 now :D thanks very much to Jane Catt, FlyPandaBear, Midnightwolf697, IAmTheDragonEmpress, Lazarus-kun, Synk, , DixieFilly, SweetSerende, all of the anonymous reviewers, all of my favorites and followers, and my big 100 reviewer, xXFallen-Angel-Of-DarknessXx. **

**Haha now that the heartfelt speech is over and done with, here is chapter 27! **

# # # #

**27. We're Gonna Have A Ball!**

At the very front doors, Zero, dressed very nicely in a suit and tie stood waiting for the trio to come trotting up the stairs. Sukui felt her heart pound a little hard in her chest, he looked even more dashing than usual. Cross was there as well, a giant goofy smile on his face.

"Oh you all look beautiful!~~" he sang happily, bear hugging all three girls in a massive death grip. Yori merely chopped him, waved goodbye and strode inside. As Headmaster took a second to weep, and Yuuki took a second to try and calm him down, Zero took a second to give his own opinion on their attire.

"You look beautiful."

_Beautiful? _a rush, like a swarm of butterflies, streamed through Sukui's entire body. Zero had called Sukui a lot of things, but beautiful?

"Uh, thanks Zero." she tried to smile, but it probably came out as some sort of weird grimace. "You look very. . . Dashing." if it hadn't have been so dark, Sukui would have been able to tell the difference between what looked like a light blush on Zero's face or the street light. Weren't vampires supposed to have super night sight? What a jip.

"Give this to Zero, Sukui!" Cross chirped happily, handing the girl a rose. "It's a corsage. Yuuki's gonna give one to Kaname!" Sukui smiled and turned to the slightly taller girl behind her, who held the flower in her hand as if it were the universe itself, and she was blushing redder than the scarlet eyes of a hungry vampire.

Sukui turned back to Zero and slid the rose into his front jacket pocket. They locked eyes for a minute, monochrome one with the lavender two. Headmaster clapped and smiled, and ushered the three in as fast as he could, which Sukui found mildly amusing, and Yuuki and Zero wanted to ring his neck.

"I'm gonna go." Yuuki piped up, "You two have fun!" Yuuki then flounced off happily and Minami smiled. "Oh man, she's got it bad." Sukui laughed, and Zero gave a short nod, though his lips twitched up a bit. The music was upbeat and happy, there was a live band playing acoustic guitars and a grand piano was played softly.

Blood splashing all over the white keys peppered Sukui's vision for a second and she made a face, that Zero must have noticed. "Have you not see a piano since that day?"

"No, I have. I just haven't played in so long. It was my favorite thing to do but it reminds me of that . . day. . ." The two prefects-hunters-vampires stood side by side in silence after that statement, as the people kept dancing, and Sukui watched in nostalgia.

_**Flashback**_

"_Hey Sukui!" Ichiru piped happily, as Nikki played a soft tune on the piano. They were ten years old, and all sitting in the room with the grand piano. Zero was holding his new anti-vampire weapon with pride, cleaning it out every millisecond. Ichiru offered his hand to Sukui, who had take to rocking back and forth on her feet while Nikki played._

"_Come on! Let's dance!"_

_Sukui blushed lightly and protested fiercely. Too which Zero laughed and teased, but eventually Ichiru had Sukui's arms and they waltzed. The Minami girl stomped all over his feet and all he did was laugh or redirect her, Zero laughed along as well. Soon enough though, Zero was also dragged into it, and he danced with Ichiru, and then with Sukui._

_When Nikki had finished the song, "Heart and Soul" the dancing stopped. "I'm never dancing again! I'd much rather learn the piano!" Nikki smiled, "Now would you?"_

_Sukui nodded, and Zero snorted. _

"_Why, so you can be more of a lady?" _

_Sukui elbowed the boy and that lead to a little fist fight, that Nikki broke with only a laugh._

_**Flashback End**_

Sukui smiled at the memory, those were simpler times. . .

"Hey Sukui?" a random Day Class boy she didn't know asked, offering his hand, "Would you like to dance?" Sukui was about to protest and begin the long story of her two left feet. It was a natural reaction for her, but when Zero interrupted with, "Actually, Renji, I was just about to dance with her." she was completely frozen.

The red head sighed, and Sukui almost apologized before he walked away but stuck with thanking Zero. "Thanks, I don't know what I would have done." she smiled, scratched the back of her head with closed eyes, "Especially since I don't. . .Wait? What are you doing?" Zero had suddenly had a firm hold of Sukui's hand and brought her into the typical embrace of the waltz, "I wasn't kidding."

Sukui was warm all throughout her body. From the hairs on her head to the tips of her toes. "B-b-b-b-but you know I can't dance!" she stammered in nervousness. Zero merely chuckled as a response, and began to lead the dance. At first, they, well Zero, went to the beat of a fairly upbeat song. Then, as if it were some badly narrated story, the music turned slow.

Sukui was no longer dancing on top of Zero's feet by stumbling and slipping, and looking like an overall child first learning to walk, but instead, he still picked her up and set her feet on top of his. They swayed lightly together, and slowly stepped in that strange little box. 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, and so on. Minami refused to look the Kiryu in the eyes until the boy took her chin in his hand and made her look up.

"Why so silent Sukui? By now you'd be yelling at me."

Sukui snorted, "I'm not that bad, I have to have a good reason to be yelling at you when I do, like when you tried to kick the bucket three times." she murmured. Zero sighed, "I know. . . I didn't think it would impact you so much."

Sukui snorted, "Are you nuts? Of course it did. My old pal wanting to clock out while I was in the same position? I could have helped then like I'm helping now." she grumbled at him, earning a sigh, and another slight chuckle from the silver haired man. "You're right. . ." Zero's eyes locked with hers and the stared at each other for a bit, and he slowly moved his hand from her waist to her eye patch.

Before she could flinch, like she had with Yuuki earlier, he said something that made her quite, as he had not that long before.

"I want to see both of your eyes."

Nothing extraordinary, just the look of his eyes when he said it. The patch was loosened, and the luminous purple eye with the Hunter's symbol tattooed in and around it in a dark purple. It looked strange with one silver eye and one purple, and Zero held her face and kept her from moving, so there was nothing she could say to possibly diffuse the situation.

The dance soon ended, well dances. Sukui had no idea how long she had just sat in Zero's arms and stared into his violet eyes. But the spell over the two had seemed to been broken almost instantly. She tightened the eye patch as she proposed that they look for Yuuki, and she took out the bobby pins, the flood of the previous moment too much not to hide her face behind her curtain of hair.

They went out into the terrace, where a very grumpy looking Kuran stood.

"Where's Yuuki?" Sukui asked. Kaname simply glared at Zero. "You promised to take care of her."

Zero's eyes, for a second once again filled with emotion, worry, knowledge.

He bolted from Sukui's side, and left the girl dumbfounded, scrambling for an explanation.

# # # #

**BLEACH REFERENCE xD if you knew what it was, virtual cookie, just for you.**

**And Bleach stories for you! Look up:**

**Dear Bleach Fanfiction Authors by Sariniste**

**Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by XxLuna CosimaxX **

**In my favorites Bleach Fans! They are beyond good :D **


	28. Leaders Pledge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title based from anime episode title!**

**Happy Thanksgiving :D eat lots of Pumpkin Pie! **

# # # #

**28. Leaders Pledge**

Sukui went racing after Zero, it was a good thing her dress was short and didn't drag the pavement as she tore after him. "Zero! Where are you going!" of course, he didn't answer. Though, that's when Sukui realized the feeling, the tugging she felt in her chest, it felt like. . . Shizuka. She was up to something, what she'd been up to lately was finally going into play.

The two hunters entered the Moon dorms at top speed, Zero looked back at her for a millisecond, "You feel it now too?"

"Yeah, our old buddy is up to something."

The two tore around a corner and Sukui began to her two voices. One was obviously the evil woman who now trotted the halls the other. . . Was Yuuki?

"This way!" Sukui called to Zero, and he turned on his heel and the duo bust through the doors just as Shizuka went to sink her fangs into Yuuki's neck. Sukui chucks her dagger, and it lodges into the couch next to Shizuka's turned head, strands of now white hair fell, she'd given up the Maria get up, and a red line beaded on her nose. "Willing to unarm yourself to save Yuuki? How selfless of you." she scoffed. Her cherry blossom eyes cruel and lifeless.

Sukui hadn't seen Shizuka as herself in such a long time, she almost felt her entire body shut down in fear and hesitation. How on Earth was she supposed to go about doing this, now that the pureblood woman was there?

Zero held the Bloody Rose steadily and aimed for Shizuka's head. Knowing full well what he was going to do, Yuuki bolted from her position on the couch right next to the pureblood vampire and shielded her. "No! You can't kill her!" she cried, her voice very strong and serious. "Yuuki, I am going to beat her within an inch of her life." Zero's voice came out in cool, cutting clipped words.

Yuuki wavers, and begins to cry. Zero flinches rather visibly, not wanting her to get hurt. Shizuka's eyes lit up in rage, and she then drawled in a serious voice, "Zero. Grab hold of Yuuki. Sukui. Hold still." The two glared daggers at the woman, much like the one Sukui had thrown at her head seconds before.

The woman wrenched it from the oak and walked up to Sukui as she stood rigid, Zero mindlessly grabbing Yuuki and holding her fast. The poor Cross girl was frightened out of her mind, but there was a little a thing either of the hunters could do to reassure her. Shizuka smiles very condescendingly at the other girl, Minami, and swiped the dagger harshly on her neck, barely missing the large artery that would have ended her life.

Sukui's own anti-vampire weapon inflicted a massive pain on her, and she flinched as Shizuka leaned towards her neck, "It's been awhile since I've been strengthened by your blood." she murmured, and Sukui stood stiffly in disgust, as Shizuka sunk her fangs into her neck.

She remembered the first time she'd changed, and all of the times that Shizuka took blood from her. It had been more than once, and more blood than anyone should have been able to live from. Shizuka said it made her strong, she called it the "shiro chi".

_**Flashback**_

"_There is a reason your name means Salvation." Shizuka smiled one night, about a week into Sukui's capture. Sukui cocked her head to the side, obviously confused. "It has too do with your blood. It's a very strong and ancestral blood. Only one other had it, many many years ago. You inherited it from your mother."_

"_What do you know about my mom?" the girl was still very confused, not knowing back than that the pureblood woman was not speaking of the lady who'd been murdered right in front of her. Shizuka laughed before she pushed the young girls hair back. "You'll find out when you are older."_

_**Flashback End**_

Sukui was brushed aside when the pureblood Hio was done with her, falling easily to the floor, Crossing Silver Angel landing in her lap. Feebly, she wiped it off on her leg as the woman strode over to Zero. He glared at her with all of the hatred he'd kept pent up for four years, as she drank from him as well. "This is what you get for stealing my daughter from me. Zero."

"I was young, so young. How could you do this? Why me?" Sukui said suddenly, shaking in a massive rage, she then screamed at the top of her lungs. "You made me a monster. I will destroy you!"

The next events almost seemed to pass by in a surreal blur.

She headed towards Shizuka and took a stab at her almost robotically, landing a long mark down her arm that budded and bled crimson, ripping at the sleeve of her white kimono. Zero shot himself in the leg, breaking the hold she had over him. Then he flipped the gun in his hand and shot Shizuka in the shoulder, she stumbled back and the blood bloomed on her shoulder like a flower. But she didn't even flinch, a painfully fearful feeling chilled Sukui's bones to the core again.

Then Ichiru came in and threw his sword at Zero's firing arm, just as Yuuki scrambled from his grasp and grabbed furiously for an Artemis that was not with her. "Do not meddle Ichiru, this is my affair." Shizuka deadpanned, as Zero swiftly pulled the sword out of his arm, and with Ichiru using a dagger, the two began to fight.

"Sukui!" Yuuki blanched, rushing to her fallen friend. "Are you alright!"

Sukui was surprised to find she was, and she was also surprised to see Zero's sword would bubble white and begin to close up as well as the bullet wound at his leg. That was what her blood did?

"Why is my blood so freaking weird?" she questioned herself, as she stood up and shoved Yuuki behind her, holding out her dagger in front of her. "You stay here. I am going to help Zero."

Yuuki went to tell her otherwise but faltered as Sukui parried one of Ichiru's blows and stood defiantly in front of Zero. "I will kill you Sukui, don't make me do that." Sukui smirked, "Please, you'd really go against Shizuka-sama's orders, Ichiru? I am very surprised at you. Why did you join her. WHY."

Ichiru just glares and aims his dagger at her, which she parries once again, this time narrowly. A long scratch under her only functioning eye. Zero sticks his gun to Ichiru's head then, looking rather furious.

The boy laughs, "Oh please Zero, you and Sukui know very well that I am not a vampire, and it won't hurt me."

_Oh, so that's why he flipped a lid earlier. He wants to be one of us._

"Even though she let me drink her blood to fix my immune system, and to help me get stronger. She wouldn't take any of mine. She wouldn't change me!" Ichiru growled, near hysterical tears, "I love her, but just like my parents, she prefers Zero over me!"

"Ichiru, your parents. . ."

"SHUT UP!"

Ichiru shoved Sukui to the ground to attack Zero, and Sukui sprang up to retaliate, but was pushed back by Zero as well. "Stay out of it!" he called, as him and Ichiru locked weapons again and began to fight full force. Sukui would have stubbornly declined, but after awhile, she nodded respectfully and went to Yuuki, who was paralyzed in shock. "We better leave him be, this is his business." Yuuki slowly nodded, and the two girls left wearily.

"Head to the dorms, I'm looking for Shizuka."

"I am not some damsel in distress, I will not stay back!" Yuuki squeaked, and Sukui, though she understood the girl's determination to make sure that everyone made it out of the situation at all, she stared hard at her. "There are some things that are best left alone. Shizuka is me and Zero's problem."

Yuuki stood firmly, and Sukui sighed. "Well what do we do the. . ."

Suddenly, a sharp, harsh smell filled Sukui's nostrils. She opened her mouth and took it in, and knew immediately who it was.

Shizuka.

Ichiru rocketed past the two down the hall, and as Sukui left with him, Yuuki went to Zero almost subconsciously. Ichiru and Sukui pushed through a door in the long hall, to find Shizuka lying bloody on the ground. The white bubbles tried and tried to consume the wound, but the blood was leaving her too quickly and the frothy-ness faded.

Ichiru fell beside her, and Sukui didn't know whether to be afraid or relieved or angry beyond all reason.

Who had killed her?

# # # #


	29. Light Scarlet Wrappings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter name taken from episode name and formatted to fit your screen.**

**Jane Catt, a good pal, made the cover art for this story! :D it's Sukui. Cool huh? My first cover art. . . This story has really been a door opener thanks to you lot, feel the love! **

**Enjoy this chap!**

# # # #

**29. Light Scarlet Wrappings**

Ichiru wept in front of the dieing pureblood, and Sukui felt like she was in a major invasion of privacy, and ridiculously finding herself backing out of the room. Her heart was racing, and her slightly dulled senses were in a buzz. Shizuka. Shizuka was _dead._

Shizuka was dead.

"Sukui, Sukui are you alright!" Yuuki asked frantically, checked her head to toe for injuries of any sort as she skidded to a halt in front of the hyperventilating girl. Zero noticed that she was paler than usual as well as her shallow breathing, and shaking. "Sukui?"

"Sh-sh-she is. . . She's. . ."

"Dead."

Zero's eyes widened, and he burst into the room to go find out for himself. Yuuki tried her best to take care of Sukui, who had apparently gone in to shock.

Dead. Dead. Dead.

Shizuka Hio was dead.

The blood sent was still blasting full force through the halls and into the air, and if Sukui's eyes were glowing red, then Zero must have been really struggling. After managing to regain some composure, she went into the room where Shizuka's body had dissolved into a puddle of Sakura petals that the wind picked up and they cascaded out of the window.

The only person in the room was Kaien, and when Yuuki and Sukui walked into the room, he nodded shortly. "Ah, good to see you are both alright."

"Where's Zero?" they asked in unison, and to that, Cross replied calmly with: "Yagari took him somewhere, don't worry, he's safe." Sukui's heart dropped into her stomach and rocketed back up again, "I honestly don't believe that Cross."

"He isn't being killed." he said softly, though rather bluntly. "He's being detained. It will be fine."

Yuuki and Sukui said nothing, just thinking of the disaster that night had become.

# # # #

Sukui and Yuuki, dressed back in their Day Class uniforms, went to class the next day. Everybody was excitedly talking about the dance and who they danced with, apparently a few of the fan girls finally had their moment to shine with the Night Class boy of their choice.

Sukui laughed slightly, "It's almost like the Night Class is a host club." Yuuki giggled, though the air between them was still tense due to worry over Zero. Where was he? Was he alright?

"Did you see Kiryu and Minami dance together?"

"I don't think I've ever seen the grump so happy!"

"Which one?"

The grouped laughed and changed topics.

Sukui felt her face redden despite it all at that, and Yuuki nudged her lightly with her elbow. "So, you danced with Zero?" the girl's brown eyes sparkled in genuine mirth. Sukui stammered at first, then cleared her throat and smiled cheekily. "I bet you danced with your Kuran, eh Princess?"

Yuuki's face lit up in the shade of a tomato, "S-so?" Sukui's cheeky grin widened into a Cheshire cat type smile. "Was it good?"

"You're making it seem like we did something else!" Yuuki cried in distress, to which Sukui smiled and ruffled the taller girls hair, "And he's not my Kuran . . ." she blushed, and that made Sukui laugh, tensely at first, but then it just came easy. Yuuki laughed a little too, and despite the earlier tension a moment of peace came about. But as soon as the final bell of the day tolled, and Sukui and Yuuki fastened their prefect badges to their arms and went to do their rounds.

Sukui wouldn't ever admit it as readily as Yuuki would, but she was deathly worried about Zero. Every second he wasn't glaring at her because she called him "old man" or snickering because she was an incredibly easy to infuriate and awkward person and she'd say something stupid, it worried her greatly. She really, really wanted to know where he was. How he was.

Then she heard extra footsteps, and saw that Kaname was striding up to Yuuki on the first terrace from Sukui's perch on the second. "Yuuki, are you alright?" he asked, obviously concerned. The voices came up muffled, and the Minami girl perched quietly so that she could hear their conversation.

"I'm just worried about Zero. . . And Sukui. I can tell she's worried about him too so that freaks me out." Yuuki uttered softly, "I just wish I knew where he was. . . She must feel the same. . ."

"Do you want me to check on him?" Kaname asked rather begrudgingly, though the Cross girl couldn't tell. "Yes, if you would." she answered eagerly, and then there was a short silence before Kaname asked, "and Sukui, where is she?"

Sukui snorted as Yuuki answered, "Second floor terrace, that's where her rounds are."

"I will take her just so you can get a second opinion on Kiryu's condition."

"I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Thank you."

Sukui got up from her crouched position eavesdrop to pacing and surveying as she should have been doing.

"Sukui."

The girl turned to see Kaname, just as she had heard earlier, and acknowledged him with a curt: "Kuran."

"I assume you already know, but I've come to get you to visit Kiryu."

"Well why exactly are you taking me?" Sukui asked, arms folded and eyebrows raised. "For Yuuki. No more, no less."

Sukui snorted, "You're really something else."

"Are you coming or not?"

Sukui sighed and nodded, trailing after the pureblood to wherever Zero was.

# # # #

**OURAN REFERENCE xD you got that one too? Oh another virtual cookie for you.**

**And another story for you! **

**In my favorites, there is an Ouran story called Housemates by LolyRabbit. It's just starting out, but boy is it good. Give it a look Ouran fans!**

**Oh and for cereal, if you haven't, show Black Rose some love, Jane deserves it ;D oh and show the community Dangerous Seduction some love too! This story has been added in there!**

**Ok haha rant over :D till next time my loves! **


	30. Chained

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

# # # #

**30. Chained**

Sukui's heart broke when she saw the state he was in.

In a dungeon-like room under Headmaster's housing, on top of a scarlet glowing Hunter's Association seal, held back by silver chains and hanging low and defeated was Zero. Kaname stood next to Sukui silently, "Do you want to step up first, or shall I?" he asked quietly.

Sukui's whole body was shaking in worry and hurt, "Oh Zero. . ." she whispered. If only she had been able to get Shizuka's blood before she had faded. If she hadn't stepped away. . . Damn it Ichiru! If you hadn't have loved her. . .

"Sukui."

"I'll go forward." she answered at last, determined but obviously filled with fear and choked, embarrassingly, with tears. "Maybe my blood. . . Can help him for good." when Kaname said nothing, Sukui took that as a sign and began to step gingerly in front of Zero. She kneeled in front of him, and gently took his face in her hands. His eyes, those pretty lavender eyes, were cold, washed out, and lifeless. His silver hair seemed to have lost it shine as well.

All of that in one day.

All of this because of one woman.

"Sukui." he whispered hoarsely, "You should go. I can't hold back anymore. . . I'm Level E now. . . Unless you've come to kill me because Yuuki can't." there was a twinkle of hope in his eyes, one twinkle and it was enough to send Sukui into a fit of rage, and made her want to throw up.

"NO!" she shouted hastily, and then she took a deeper breath and repeated quieter, "No. I'm here to help you." Sukui slid up the Cross Academy choker that she'd had since the ball. Which is why she was there, she knew her blood would save him. She believed it.

She had too believe it.

"I'm not going to drink anymore of your blood. . ."

"Please Zero, you've got too. You've just got too." Sukui whispered fiercely, "Yuuki needs you, you know! She cares about you." Sukui's eye began to blur, and quiet tears streamed from both of her eyes, finally revealing themselves. _Traitors_. "I care about you."

Zero sighed, the weight of the world on his shoulders. He used his thumb to dismiss the tears from his best friends face, "Sukui. . ."

"Shizuka used my blood before to get stronger, maybe it can stop you from dissenting too. If you just keep drinking it, maybe it can save you."

"Maybe. You'd be willing to risk your life, and the lives of others, on a maybe?"

"Yes. Because maybe's all I've got." she breathed.

Zero took a very deep breath, his eyes began to glow crimson. "I hope you are prepared for the consequences."

Thus, for the third time, Zero's fangs pierced Sukui's neck, and he drank the shiro chi, the white blood. The ancient powerful blood that Sukui was going to find out more about, in order to save Zero for good.

# # # #


	31. Saints Of Choices

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**Chapter title the opposite of the episode title xD just to be different.**

# # # #

**31. Saints Of Choices**

"She's awake?" Sukui asked, head cocked to the side in confusion. All dressed up and ready for school once again, Zero, Yuuki, and Sukui were all facing the Headmaster, who they had run into in the halls. "Yeah!" he piped up, "She's awake! And ready to talk."

"You better go see her then!" Yuuki popped, and the three of them followed nutty Kaien Cross towards the infirmary, where the real Maria Kurenai would be, awaiting to answer their questions. Cross leaned against the outside wall next to the doors leading in, "Yuuki and I will stay out here, considering that none of this is either of our business." he stated, and as much as Yuuki would have liked to protest by the look in her eyes, she nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I'll go and make sure that everything is alright with the students."

Zero and Sukui nodded, and Sukui gave the girl a one-armed hug in thanks. "We'll see you later to lend a hand ok? Be careful." Yuuki nodded simply, and ushered Sukui towards Zero and the door. Pushing through the two oak doors, Kurenai sat up with her arms folded and nodded her acknowledgement to two people who'd come into speak with her.

"Zero, Sukui." Maria nodded, with the same patronizing voice that Sukui had wished was just a side effect of Shizuka's possession, "I'm ready to answer any questions you have for me."

"Why did Shizuka take me."

Zero was surprised, visibly even, by Sukui's deadpan, but she looked Maria dead in the eyes in the unwavering sense that he knew meant that she needed her answer or she wasn't going anywhere. In reality, on the inside, Sukui was having a mental breakdown.

Maria smiled, "Oh? The story is really quite interesting. . . But, I will simply tell you because it involves that weird blood you carry, and somebody else who was after you, your parentage, you know, the usual." she waved, as if she understood the situation perfectly.

"Somebody else? Somebody's after me _again_?"

"Exactly!"

Sukui tapped her foot on the ground, "Well who is it?"

"Your uncle!"

"My uncle?"

Maria giggled, "Yeah! That's all the hints you get Minami! Sorry!~" she sang. Sukui twitched, veins in her head expanding in size. "Why you little. . ."

"Why did she kill my family, besides her lover having been killed and them getting that mission?" Zero then asked, arms folded in front of his chest as well. It defused Sukui's anger, that was for sure, and made her worried instead.

"Ooh, well she didn't really want to kill your family, your family killed her lover, so she felt compelled too." Maria smiled again, her purple eyes sparkling with mirth as if this was the best story she'd told in her entire life. "Though, once again, she is not the mastermind behind all of this."

"Do you know the story of her lover? It's really quite interesting. He was a human sent to her to feed when she'd been temporarily imprisoned before." Maria yammered on, much to Sukui and Zero's annoyance. "She changed him, and they escaped together. Isn't that romantic?"

_So that's why Aoishi resented her. . . He was a human before. Just like me._

"Could we get to the important things please?" Sukui persisted, "I really didn't come here to learn more about the woman who changed me into a monster's love life." Maria smiled for the billionth time, albeit this time a little more coldly, "Well of course, although, doesn't surprise adoption sound more accurate?"

Sukui's eye narrowed at her, but she kept herself from leaping onto the cot and punching the girl's lights out.

"Anymore questions?"

"Actually yeah." Sukui shuffled her feet, but looked Maria dead in the eyes once more, "Did she know who my real parents were?"

Maria smiled slowly again, "Yes. She did."

"Well who were they?"

Maria laughed, "Like I'd tell you. Once you know, this game will be over. Your side will win without a struggle. I'm sorry. I'm not telling you anymore things you wish to know."

Sukui began to shake wildly with anger, "Maria!" Maria simply just continued grinning at the girl, as Zero's hands wrapped her shoulders and he forcibly carried the extremely pissed off Sukui from the premises. Slurs of curse words echoed through the hallways, and maybe if some of the students listened they would have blushed at the silver tongue of some girl near the infirmary.

"Why'd you take me out Zero!"

"You obviously couldn't handle it." he growled, "And besides, we got all our answers that we could." Sukui's white knuckled balled fists loosened and she regained to her breath. "Yeah. . . Your right. I was acting like a child." Zero waved it off, "You always act like a six year old when your upset, I've learned this." he smirked, and Sukui stuck her tongue out at him, which only got more teasing earned for her.

"You really are a child."

"Shut up old man!"

The two laughed for a second, just looking at each other. Sukui's blush rose in her cheeks again, and she wasn't sure what to do or say. They were both silent. Well, up until they smelt something in the air, something new yet familiar.

"Vampire." Zero began. "But it's different." Sukui whispered, and then they strode off to where the back gates were, the spell being broken once more. The back gates were by a large forest, and that's where most vampires came when they visited.

Yuuki was on the other side, faced by a man in a suit.

"Could it be a man from the Senate?" Sukui asked, hopping onto the fence and peering down onto the two. Zero joined her and nodded, "It's gotta be."

"Because killing a pureblood is taboo. . ."

"But we don't even know who killed her." Sukui hushed as she slid easily off of the wrought iron and into the bush, Zero joined her once more, saying nothing. They then walked out, but had to sprint because the Senate guy stepped forward to Yuuki, claws extended.

Sukui whisks her dagger out and hit's the vampire in the eye just as the bullet flew out of the Bloody Rose and hit him smack in the forehead. "Zero! Sukui!" Yuuki called, "Thank goodness. They think you killed Shizuka!"

Sukui looked confused, "Him or me?"

"Zero! They are here to take him!"

"Oh hell no!" Sukui growled, and just then, other Senate members appeared. "Well, whether you like it or not, he is to be arrested!" they called. Sukui quickly grabbed her knife from the pile of dust that remained of the vampire and took a defensive position, as did Yuuki and Zero. "Wan' him? Comin' get 'im!" Sukui called confidently.

"There will be no need for an all out showdown, Miss Minami."

"Kaname-sama!" the Senate members squallier at the appearance of Kaname.

Kaname, along with a few other Night Class students showed up, taking positions around the three who had already been there. Aido managed to take down one of the vampires who had lashed without order, but then Kaname asked. "What is it that you are doing here at Cross?"

"The Senate has ordered us, we are here to retrieve the murderer of Shizuka Hio."

"Didn't you want her dead?" Sukui scoffed, "You put her up as mentally insane, basically left her for the slaughter of hunters, were you expecting the bad vampire to stay alive?"

"It is illegal to kill one nonetheless, did you kill her?" the nameless body of vampire counsel men and woman asked. "No, no one here is responsible for the murder of Shizuka." Sukui continued, "I was right outside the door when she. . ."

"Sukui, be quiet." Hanabusa quickly covered her mouth, and flinched when he was bit and licked, but remained firm. "Kaname-sama will take care of this."

"What happens in Cross Academy is my business." Kaname went on, as if nothing had happened, "There is no need for the Senate to get involved."

"Kaname-sama, what you are doing is dangerous you know."

"I am well aware of the risk and consequence."

The vampire speaking stepped closer to Kaname, "But Kaname-sa. . ." he was cut off when a rip was suddenly made on his chest. Kuran's hand lay by his side messy with his blood, "I told you, this is a matter for Cross Academy. You will not be needed. Now leave."

The injured vampire hissed and spat, but finally replied. "Fine, but they will be hearing about this." thus, the horde of aristocrats left the vicinity, and Kaname and the Night Class turned to face the three, or like Aido, scream and shake all of the saliva off of his hand. "Ew! What kind of girl licks a guys hand!" he squealed.

"Why kind of boy screams like a freaking sissy when aforementioned girl licks his hand?" Sukui asked monotonously. Her amusement only revealed by the sparkle in her only revealed eye. Zero rolled his eyes and Aido backed away. Kaname walked up to Yuuki and asked, "Are you alright?" and reached to touch her, but the Cross girl backs away and closes her eyes.

"No Kaname. I will not be treated like a child, not until you tell the Senate that Zero is innocent!"

Kaname sighed, and the entire Night Class seemed to be at a loss for words, and breath. When Kaname said nothing, Yuuki stormed away and Sukui and Zero plodded after her.

# # # #


	32. Dang Clichéd Butterflies

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**WARNING: Fluff factor off of the charts!**

# # # #

**32. Dang Clichéd Butterflies**

Sukui sat on the couch in Headmaster's quarters as Yuuki took a shower to de-stress herself. Zero had gone to only Heaven knew where, and she was left all by herself to kick her feet on the moth worn evergreen couch. Eventually, she got up and went down the hall to knock on the bathroom door.

"You didn't fall into the toilet did you?" she asked worriedly.

Yuuki giggled on the other side, as the sound of water streaming kept up at a steady rate and steam floated out of the door. "No. I didn't fall in. I'll be done in about twenty more minutes, alright?"

"Okay, just had to check!"

Sukui sighed and slowly trekked back down the hall, turning the corner and jumping when she saw Zero sprawled out on the couch, a towel draped over the arm of it and a calm look over his face as he slept. Sukui slowly moved to stand above him. He was in a blue sleeved white chest-ed night shirt with some grey sweats. The normalcy of not seeing him in his uniform was odd, and it fascinated her.

She also found it interesting, how utterly unguarded he was in his sleep. Why hadn't she ever caught that? Well, maybe because back then he wasn't always so icy cold. She kneeled beside him, her fingers slowly inched towards his soft hair. Sukui bit her lip and finally pinched a strand between her fingers and rubbed it, so soft. Her face reddened.

_Idiot. _she thought, _why does he make me feel this way? It's those dang clichéd butterflies just flitting in my stomach. . ._

"Sukui."

Aforementioned girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her name, she thought he had woken up to see her play with his hair again. But he hadn't, his voice was too quiet, too pained, too much like the little Zero who used to be very, very afraid. "Zero?" she whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand and standing above him. "Zero?"

He stiffened some more, and it was obvious then that he was trapped inside of a nightmare. "Zero!"

His eyes flashed open, and with as gasp, he pulled Sukui to his chest tightly and very suddenly, hugging her close. "You're alright. . . She didn't get you."

"Zero, what're you talking about?"

The Kiryu boy didn't elaborate, his head was buried in the crook of her neck. Not because he wanted blood, but he needed comfort. His nightmare was really that bad? And it had obviously had her in it. . .

"Zero, whatever it was, its not real alright?" she whispered, hesitantly running her hand through his hair once again in an attempt at solace for the boy. "It's alright. We don't have to worry about Shizuka anymore."

Suddenly once again, Sukui felt warmth, the warmth of Zero's breath on her face. His purple eyes bored into her single eye, "I know. . .thank you. Again." Sukui tried for a smile, "I-it's alright. What are pals. . . For. . ." she began to trail off, closing her eye, as Zero did the same. He was slowly leaning in . . . Sukui could almost feel the skin on Zero's lips. . . So close. . .

"Oh my, this is awkward."

Zero and Sukui practically catapulted away from each other when Yuuki's small voice permeated the air. She giggled, her face slightly pink from the display as she said, "No need to be so embarrassed you two, its actually really cute."

Sukui simply blinked and went on the defensive, "Oh yeah? Well umm, I'm gonna go now, and maybe there is slightly more than average chance I won't come back." she rushed, bolting from the room, and eventually, the house.

Tears even stung the edges of her eyes.

_Damn him! Confusing me like that. Damn Yuuki for coming in! No. . . what am I saying? The hell is wrong with me!_

# # # #

**Oh Sukui, everything is wrong with you. And it's all my fault xD**


	33. Soiree

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami.**

**A special guest star is being featured in this story :D with a reoccurring occasional role, can you spot them?**

# # # #

**33. Soiree**

Sukui had been avoiding Zero for the past 24 hours.

She didn't think she'd be able to look him in the eyes without blushing and remembering what had almost happened the previous day. Why did things have to be so freaking confusing? Oh she hated it so.

Thus, to successfully avoid Zero, Sukui ended up spending the entire day with Headmaster Cross.

"Oh Sukui, don't you think that these carrots look absolutely lovely?"

Kaien and Sukui were picking vegetables from the garden in the back of his house when he asked such a question. Holding a vivid orange carrot plastered with dirt in front of Sukui's face, Cross asked the question.

"Erm, it's beautiful?" Sukui resisted the urge to give him the worst "WTF" face the world had ever seen. Cross sure was an interesting guy. Cross simply nodded and continue to smile, "Well, I made quite a harvest this year!"

They continued to load the veggies in the wicker baskets in silence, though Cross hummed occasionally. After awhile, Sukui's hands were caked in dirt and the basket was covered and filled with all sorts of good eatin', as Sukui happily described. Tomatoes, carrots, turnips, and even a few potatoes.

Sukui smiled softly, as she ran her fingers over the vegetables.

_**Flashback**_

"_Sukui?"_

_Nikki Kiryu called the thirteen year old girl from the yard where she was training with the Kiryu twins and Kaito. She hopped up from her stretches and skipped up to her. "What'dya need Nikki?"_

_The woman smiled, "I need you to help me make some of Zero's favorite soup for his birthday today." Sukui nodded and smiled, "and I'll help with Ichiru's goulash tomorrow!"_

_Zero and Ichiru Kiryu were born seven seconds apart. Zero at 11:59 P.M. and Ichiru at 12:00 A.M. at October 24__th__ and 25__th__. Every year since Sukui had become a part of their family, she would help make Zero and Ichiru's favorite things for dinner and celebrate their birthdays respectively. At first, Sukui thought this strange._

"_Aren't twins born on the same day?"_

"_Well yes, most of the time, but Zero was a tough one." Ryuu joked, embarrassing the boy, "So it took awhile for him to come into the world. He went in kicking and screaming, so Ichiru had to wait a little bit, patient as he always is."_

"_Who could blame him."_

_Sukui helped Mrs. Kiryu peel the carrots and potatoes, slicing them finely, and then making the broth. Concocting Zero's favorite food, vegetable soup. Sukui even threw in a few ramen noodles without the flavoring that year, his second favorite food, just to make it even yummier._

_Zero thought it was great, and it was good times. It's too bad they didn't know that that would be the last year that happy tradition came about. _

_**End Flashback**_

A hand fell on Sukui's shoulder, starling her and tearing her from memories. "A letter from the Association." Cross stated, "They want you to go to a soiree for aristocrats tonight and run guard duty with Zero." Sukui's heart shot straight down to her stomach and back into its rightful place again. "Erm, uh, you see. . . I kind of can't. . ."

Kaien laughed a bit, "Just because he almost kissed you doesn't mean you should distance yourself." Sukui blinked a bit, before he finished with, "Yuuki told me." Sukui sighed, _naturally_.

"Anyways, you shouldn't run from him."

"Well why?" Sukui blushed, shrugging out of the Headmaster's hand. Headmaster sighed, his brown eyes filled with something that Sukui had never, ever seen in her life before. "Isn't it what you want? It's really quite obvious, in both of your cases, how you feel. And didn't you just realize, not two months ago, that he was alive?"

"Yes but. . ."

"Don't be such a fool Sukui." Cross uttered seriously, the strange emotion still locked in his eyes, "You especially know, that in our world, chances like this can't afford to be lost."

Sukui sighed, a girl too stubborn to admit that something, someone, made her incredibly weak in the knees, caught her off guard, and made her feel like winged insects were forever trapped in her stomach. Kaien folded his arms across his chest and continued to stare, Sukui tried every tactic not to look at him, because as much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

"What do I do Headmaster?"

Headmaster put both of his hands on the girl's shoulders. "You admit defeat." he then went goofy, "Go to your knight in shining armor!"

Sukui rolled her eyes, "More like my moron in tinfoil." then she smiled, and surprised the Headmaster by hugging him. "Thank you."

Cross patted her back, and unbeknownst to her, let out a shaky breath. When the Minami girl broke away, she smiled slightly, boxed Kaien's ears playfully and said, "Well, I'm gonna go and get fancy stuff for the soiree. And my moron. See you!"

"Wait just a bit, there will be another there. Another hunter girl such as yourself. You'll meet her at the front gates." Sukui nodded, "Thanks for the heads up! And everything again!" she smiled once more.

Then she trounced away, all the while Cross looking after her with that unidentified emotion.

And pride.

# # # #

Yuuki tottered along with Sukui, Yori at their heels. Yuuki wanted to get Sukui the perfect dress (once again) so when they caught the female hunter at the gate, they dragged her off.

Of course, the dress they found was beautiful, and it brought Sukui out of her comfort zone for what she was attempting.

It was a lacy lavender strapless dress that ruffled at the bottom and tied with a black lace belt and a black silk ribbon. Fit Sukui like a glove, even though it was meant for bustier woman and she was as flat as a board. It involved her revealing her eye again though, but it was just something she was going to try for a change.

"Thanks Yuuki, Yori. I'll see you around!"

"Good luck!"

Sukui trotted away with the bag before the Cross girl would have the satisfaction of seeing her blush once more.

In her dorm, Sukui slid the dress on and added her boots to it, holstering the dagger under her skirt. She pinned the hair over her eye back as Yuuki had done for her with the ball not that long ago, and loosed the eye patch.

Mussing her hair a little bit, she took a deep breath and headed towards the soiree.

# # # #

Sukui stood in front of the old decrepit castle-like building somewhere in the middle of town, and not that far from the old cathedral she used to inhabit regularly. She tapped her foot impatiently, looking at her wrist and then laughing at herself when it became apparent that she had no watch on.

"Now where is that girl?" she asked herself, pacing just in front of the place. The smell of moldy stone her only company.

"Hello, you are Sukui Minami I presume?"

Sukui turned towards a girl in an elegant red dress, her hair was wavy black, and her eyes were a piercing blue. Sukui couldn't help but be jealous, what with her height and figure. She practically grumbled out, "Yes."

"Nice to meet you, my name is Amaya."

She was polite enough, but that only infuriated Sukui a little further. "My father is already inside, so let's go in." Amaya skipped up the stairs a little and looked down on Sukui, "Shall we?"

Sukui was a bit lost, the girl was rather nostalgic, and she'd felt as if she'd seen her somewhere before. Faint childhood memories of Toga toting in a little girl with black hair and blue eyes coming to visit just after the whole nurse incident went down. She was awful confused by this. And by the calm authoritive air that carried the woman.

"Well?"

Sukui snapped herself out of the memory daze and nodded simply, following her into the hovel and down some hidden steps, into a gigantic and ornate ball room. The pillars were tall and white, covered in gold sculptures, the floor was ruby red tiles with some gold trim. The walls were a dark mahogany wood. Fancily dressed people were everywhere, beautiful dresses, handsome tuxes. It was like some sort of medieval thing!

Toga was leaning against one of the pillars at the far end of the room, and Zero was leaning against one of the pillars on the other end of the room as well, completely opposite of Toga. "We split up and keep an eye on these suckers than." Sukui deadpanned, "I'll be seeing you Amaya."

Amaya nodded and headed in Toga's direction, must have been to speak about something important. Sukui turned to where Zero was and her heart started beating rather tightly in her chest. Now that she was there, she wasn't all the confident anymore, she wasn't even anywhere near him and she couldn't speak.

His lilac eyes combed over the room in pursuit of any malicious or bothersome activity, he was dressed in a tux much like the night of the ball, probably the same one, and he appeared bored out of his mind. Sukui swallowed, "Should I do this?" She whispered slightly, taking a few steps forward.

"No. No he's got his dissenting to worry about." steps back to the doorway.

"But. . . You're helping with that stupid." steps forward again.

"But. . . What if he feels obligated to return the feelings and is lieing?"

"Has Zero ever lied? And he tried to kiss you, stubborn moron! GO! Assert yourself or set back the women's movement centuries!"

"Fine!"

A few people stared at the vampire-vampire hunter girl by the doors, and she smiled meekly and waved until they looked away. _Now a load of vamps think me bonks, hope I don't get put on the execution list. _she took a deep breath and weaved through the crowd, towards Zero.

_Funny, I haven't been this afraid since Shizuka._

Just as Sukui was making her way across the floor, a finger tapped her shoulder. "Would you like to dance with me?" Sukui shook her head, looking back but not seeing, "I'm sorry, I can't do that." she continued to talk forward, but someone caught her wrist. "I insist."

"I'm so jealous. . ."

"Why does a lousy ex-human hunter get to dance with him?"

A zealous clamor of girls rose up and Sukui was utterly confused, who was trying to get her attention? She turned and was face to face with Kaname. "K-Kuran? What do you want?! I'm a little busy!" the Minami girl tried to pull away, looking for Zero, when she saw him, leaving off in the direction of his twin, she let Kaname pull her back into the waltz stance. Stupid Kuran, totally blew it!

"We need to talk."

"Alright, alright."

As the orchestra in the back of the room began droning some elegant classical music that Sukui herself used to play. She could practically see the music sheets in her head, and nodded slightly with the beats of it and hummed the notes.

"Do you play?"

Sukui nodded at Kaname's question, "Nik. . . I mean, Zero's mother used to teach me how to play the piano. It used to be my favorite thing to do, but I haven't been around one in such a long time."

"Well, there are opportunities at Cross I assure you."

Kaname spun the girl and then brought her in again, before the girl asked, "Now Kaname, what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"Oh, simply just wondering why you were here with Yagari Amaya?"

_Yagari Amaya. . . Oh!_

So she was the little girl from her memories. Only a few months younger than her. Yagari used to bring her over while he was out on missions in the town her guardians were in. Quiet and thoughtful, and the only girl Sukui came into contact with her age, the two had rather at odds back then, so Sukui must have suppressed the memories.

"Oh, Cross said I was to meet her at the doors, nothing more. I just barely remembered her. I haven't seen her in ten years. She probably doesn't remember me." she shrugged, continuing the dance with the pureblood. "Why did you really want to talk to me? I know it wasn't because she's a pretty girl and you wanted her number, because you've already got Yuuki and I won't let you be a manwhore with my friend."

Kaname blinked at her, un-amused, but went on, "It's concerning your parentage."

Sukui stiffened, "You mean my mother? Father?"

Kaname nodded, "Just your father. I have exclusive information on both your parents, but am willing to let you know of your father."

Sukui, needless to say, was suspicious, "Why? Why are you telling me this? Why now? It seems pretty out of place in all of this to say such things now."

Kaname almost smiled, "Well, I feel you deserve it."

Sukui found this out of character and strange in more ways than one, "Erm. . . Alright? What is it?" Kaname slipped a packet of old school letters, with wax seals and everything, to Sukui. Tied together with a old, taunt leather string.

"These are letters from your mother to your father and visa versa." Kaname drawled, as the dancing came to an end. "These most be hundreds of years old!" Sukui exaggerated, laughing a little heartily, "Are you screwing with me Kuran?" Kaname shook his head with a sigh, "Believe or don't believe, read or don't read, that isn't in my power. But, it has some answer for you."

Sukui held the letters close to her chest, "Thank you." she whispered.

Kaname bowed simply, and then looked up at her, which was odd, she was usually looked down on.

"Thank you for the dance."

# # # #

**Alright, so I almost introduced Sukui's dad in this chappie but. . . I decided that would be too easy :D but you'll find out soon.**

**As soon as Sukui stops beading around the bus and confronts her obvious feelings for Zero.**

**Dang, you're screwed xD**

**Anyways, the amazing guest star was Amaya Yagari from the story Black Rose by Jane Catt!****Jane Catt is a pretty cool friend of mine, and I really wanted yet another surprise for the story and she was kind enough to let me stir her OC into the plot :D**

**Haven't read Black Rose? Give it a look! It's under my favorites and is dang good.**

**Here is Sukui's dress this time around! Very pretty, click lavender and black! **

**Amazon gp/p rod uct/B004QKM5Z8/ref=as_li_ss_tl/?camp=217145&ie=UTF8&creative=39934 9**

**Remove the capital in com and Amazon and all of the spaces as well :D**

**Anyways, review! Sorry for the long note!**


	34. Letters

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Minami. Amaya belongs to Jane Catt!**

# # # #

**34. Letters**

As soon as Sukui got back to Cross Academy, she slunk onto her bed in her dorm room, flipped the lamp on, and took out her dagger, cutting the string that bound the letters. She set all but one of them next to her, and used her anti-vampire weapon to open them, breaking the ruby colored wax seal. She began to read the first:

_My love,_

_It is atrociously hard to stay away from you now that you are married. Arranged marriages are terrible things aren't they?_

"My mother was in an arranged marriage?" Sukui asked herself aloud with a whisper, scooting closer to the orange-ish glow of her bedside light.

_Our fling was far too short, I wish to see you. _

_Do you think you could manage it?_

_Forever yours,_

_Hunter_

"So my father's name was Hunter? Or maybe it's a code. . . Then again, he is a hunter I know as much, so that would make sense." Sukui curled up closer to herself and slid the first letter back into its envelope, grabbing what must have been her mother's response next.

_Hunter,_

_You know that will not be easy, my brother has always had a strange attachment to me, he'll wonder why I want to leave. Pretending to consent to this marriage is far too exhausting, but I must, to keep you safe. My family would be outraged at this thing we have done._

_Are you entirely sure that this is worth it? If we see each other more than once, there maybe much harsher consequences. . ._

_Captive,_

_Lady_

Sukui's eyebrows raised in confusion, "Brother? . . . Ew! She had to marry her own brother? Poor mom!"

Sukui then looked through the rest of the letters, she had twelve in total. She put the second letter away and sped-read through the others until she made it too the last two, of which she opened the last first. There was little too know information of her parents in the first letters! Kaname had been playing with her, sadistic pureblood. . .

Nothing but Lady to Hunter love letters, all as mushy as the last, Sukui felt like she wanted to vomit. But, she kept looking for clues, finding none. . .

Until she opened that very last one, unfolding the paper she read with eager eyes.

_My darling,_

_I am rejoicing that we have found a solution to our daughter's adoption. Having Yuri seal her and letting her live a normal life until we can come out together is a brilliant idea. Though, I do wish we cold leave her with more than a name. . ._

_Sukui. . . Salvation. Beautiful choice._

_Since the Hooded Woman's blood runs through her veins she will be a giant target. . . Silly family genetics. Who'd imagine our child would be so strong? . . . Hopefully your uncle will not pick up on her. Nor Shizuka._

Sukui stared at the paper wide eyed, "I-I-I was adopted more than once? . . No, for all I know, Kaname could have forged these letters. . . But why would he?"

"And who the heck is the Hooded Woman. . . I could have sworn I'd heard something about her. . . I don't remember." Sukui's head began to hurt with all of the deep thought, a fuzzy amber glow showed behind her closed eyes, even her blinded one. She opened them again quickly, and then closed them again and the light wasn't there. "Hooded Woman. . . Wasn't she the one who sacrificed her heart to make anti-vampire weapons?"

_**Flashback**_

"_There are some things in our Vampire Hunter history that you will need to know, or be better off knowing, Sukui." Kaito began haughtily, one day after training when all of the kids were sitting outside eating. "Our anti-vampire weapons? Our race itself? Created by an pureblood ancestor. The Hooded Woman."_

"_She tore her very own heart out of her chest and put it in a vat of molten metal!" Kaito called, making overly exaggerated movements and hand motions, which made Sukui laugh though she was nauseated by the heart bit, "and this, from her blood we were born! From her blood we are fighting!"_

"_Overdramatic."_

_Toga patted Kaito on the head with a short snort, sending the fiery tempered kid into a frenzy._

_**End Flashback**_

So she had the blood of the very creator of the Hunters themselves?! Sukui found herself loosing breath. "This is way too incredible, there is no way I could ever possibly posses such. . ." but they she thought over her blood, and her hand went over her eye. If not for her power, the Hooded Woman having been loosely connected to her in blood, she would have been dead long ago . . . Though there was still more that Sukui did not understand.

"Who is this uncle that she talks about? Is it the same thing as the person Kaname and Maria both referred too as being after me as well?" Sukui stared at the letter long and hard once more, confused. Then the handwriting. . . It was faintly familiar she could feel it. All of the sudden, for no reason at all, Sukui felt a spark in her heart.

Setting the letters down, Sukui scrambled through her belongings until she found a note.

_Here it is! The proper modifications._

_I hope you like it here!_

Sukui's heart began to beat quickly, she looked at the seals on the letters, and with a gasp and some flailing and slipping, Sukui landed on the floor, the papers cascading every which way in the flickering light of the cheap bulb in the lamp. The symbol. . . The handwriting. . .

As the very last letter fell, the words came to view. . .

_Since this is my last letter, I feel no need to disclose my name. I will see you my love._

_Until we reunite for good,_

_Kaien Cross_

# # # #

**BOOM!**

**Okay, so if I got anything inaccurate (I don't feel like I did, but if I did. . .) then that's the way it is supposed to be in my story! Don't worry, I am well aware of what I am doing. :D**

**So I decided to post this because it was pre-written and tomorrow "we are all going to die" so yeah, might as well enjoy it xD**

**Anyways, review please! Thanks for reading!**


	35. Safe And Then Sorry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC Sukui Cross ;D Amaya belongs to Jane Catt**

**The next few chapters will defer from the episodes for a bit, just for some further along plot development, and a break from all of the grenades I'm throwing on ya'll! Least you've got Bruno to protect you! XD Zero will also be a little OOC I think, just to warn you.**

**Merry Christmas as well! Happy Holidays in general! Whatever you do today, I hope it is good and you are happy and have a good time! I got a Hetalia wallet and a Zero plushy and I was so dang excited! It's a good day! Here's the chap!**

# # # #

**35. Safe And Then Sorry**

Sukui, letters clutched in her hands, stormed towards Headmaster's office. Tears streamed down her face, her hair was a mess, scattered all around her head. The dress she had worn to the fancy aristocrat gathering was all askew. She tore open the front door, and stomped past a very shocked Zero who must have been giving a report to Kaien.

Kaien Cross. Sukui's father.

"Hello Sukui!" Cross chimed cheerily, "Did you talk with Z. . ."

"SHUT UP!"

Kaien stopped immediately and paled, "Sukui, what's wrong?"

"Don't you Sukui what's wrong me!" she screeched hoarsely, throwing all of the letters on Kaien's desk. "FATHER."

Silence filled the room, until footsteps came from behind and Yuuki chorused, "What's going on is everyone al. . . umm, never mind. I'll be going." then the door shut and the two, father and daughter were left alone. "Sukui. . ."

"Don't. You. _Sukui_. Me."

The void of sound started again, becoming pregnant as all the Headmaster could do was stare at the disheveled girl who stood before him. He had never imagined that she would find out. . . He had wanted to tell her about himself and her mother when things were calmer, what with Zero being accused of Shizuka's murder, and _him _being on Sukui's tail, he thought it too heavy of a risk and too meaningless a detail. He was wrong.

Sukui felt like an idiot, that unreadable emotion from before? It was strictly fatherhood.

Though it was no surprise she didn't know, she'd never _had_ a father. Her closest ones to it were Ryuu and Yagari! She thought Kaien had no right to feel that way about her, regardless or not of him and her mother's taboo relationship, he had left her. He had sent Toga to save her, instead of going himself.

As the girl stood there, completely defenseless, all of the walls down, and full out sobbing, Headmaster Cross stood for a bit longer, then went from around his desk and embraced his daughter tightly.

The girl tried to furiously push him away for a long while, but he was much stronger than her, so eventually she just was sobbing into his green shawl, arms limp at her sides. "Sukui," the Headmaster began, his heart sinking with each whimper he heard, he had no idea that it would impact her this much, sure he had expected something, but not this.

"I didn't tell you because I wanted you safe. There is someone very, very bad after you because of the powers you posses in your blood and lineage, and because of me and your mother. I didn't come get you because it would be brought to his attention."

"If you could ever find it in your heart to forgive me, It'd be more than I ever deserved." he finished, ruffling her hair, but then he went on anyway, "I wanted to be safe _rather_ than sorry, not safe and then sorry."

Sukui just sobbed on her father's shoulder. Her tears turning from anger to happiness. She had a family. She had a _family._

Finally though, she took a deep breath and sniffed loudly. She looked just like a little girl who'd finished throwing a fit. Cross put his hands on her shoulders again in comfort, as she asked her questions.

"Who is this man that's after me?" Sukui asked patiently, as patient as a shocked girl could. "I'm sorry I can't tell you. . ." Cross began, scratching the back of his head nervously, "I'm afraid there might be a lot I can't tell you." of course that didn't stop the Minami turned Cross from plaguing him with questions.

"Who's Yuri? And what did she seal in me?"

"I'm afraid that is also disclosed information."

Sukui dug her boot into the floor and ground at something imaginary to vent her stress out on something else. "Is there anything you can tell me?" Cross sighed sadly at that final question, "Well, there is one thing that I can tell you, but it wouldn't make sense without all of the other taboo stuff that I can't tell you."

"Of course. . ."

Sukui's gaze cast to the floor again, and silence reigned once more, until Sukui uttered. "Well . . . Dad." Cross almost threw a giddy fit over finally being able to hear that, but he contained himself because he was already skating on thin ice, "I suppose. . . Well. I guess we need to start over." Kaien nodded a bit too eagerly, "Yes, start over. That would be very nice."

"Well erm. . ." Sukui had run all out of fuel, no anger, no tears, just too many questions to count and an empty feeling that should have been alarming. "Well, I'll be going now."

Cross nodded, "Of course. . . Sukui. Will I see you for dinner tonight?"

Sukui spared a small smile that was rather pained, but she had tried, "Yeah. See you Pops." her usual sarcastic and outspoken demeanor came back in a flash, as she spun on her heel and left the room. She was still bitter and hurt, it showed in every step she took away from him, but Cross knew that eventually she would understand.

# # # #

Sukui was marching proudly back to the Day Class dorms, emotionally drained, and jonesing from a nice, long rest. That though, was interrupted by the sound of a silver haired hunters voice.

"Sukui? Are you alright?"

He sounded concerned, as he then asked another question, that she could have sworn had a tinge of hurt in it. "And why have you been avoiding me all day?"

Sukui didn't say anything but to turn around and bury herself into his chest, not to cry, to just hug him and know that the only person who'd ever been completely honest with her was there. "Zero, Kaien's my father."

Zero didn't seem shocked, that didn't really surprise her either. He had found her with Toga after all, he had to have known their employer. Though it didn't make Sukui mad in the slightest. They stood in silence for a bit, just breathing in the cool night air. "He was a incredible Hunter known as Fang. He's over 200 years old." Zero said, finally breaking the silence and giving her some much needed information.

Sukui just looked up and blinked a few times, "My father is that ancient? And he's that good? How come I never heard of him?" Zero cracked the tiniest of smiles. "Well, it'd only lead you to the truth I guess." then he breathed in a sigh.

"Alright. . ." Sukui didn't really protest, even though she didn't know why it had to be kept from her just yet.

Zero's arms wrapped around her and held her there. He let his best friend just lie there and breath for awhile once more. Finally, after a bit she said, "I'm sorry for avoiding you Zero, I just. . . Well. I'm nervous. I'm not sure where this'll go, or even if I am interpreting it in the right way. . . And well, there's still so much shit going down. . ."

"It's fine, there's no need to apologize." Zero began, and then he took a deep breath. "and what exactly can you misinterpret about me trying to kiss you?" Sukui's face lit up, as well as letting a vein puff up in her forehead indignantly, "Well hey! That wasn't a very you thing, it caught me off guard!"

"Besides, I kind of thought you had feelings for Yuuki when I first got here."

"I did." Zero admitted honestly, "but. . . When I saw you again, I got so wrapped up in remembering all of the fun times we had and so happy that you were _alive_. I was excited to see you, and the more I got to know you all over again, the more I realized that I liked you even though you make it hard." he smirked, "Heck. . . Even more than Yuuki."

"Besides, Yuuki's got Kuran, as much as I disdain admitting it."

Sukui pulled back and smiled a bit, "Well, that's more than you've ever said in one setting as of late! Are you sure you're the real Zero?" Zero rolled his eyes, and boxed Sukui's ears lightly. "Well," Sukui finally asked with a risen eyebrow, "What does this mean?"

Before Zero could answer her, Yuuki came tottering up, "Hey! Rounds people! Seriously. Don't leave Amaya and I on our own!"

Sukui rose an eyebrow, "Toga's daughters still around?"

Zero nodded, "Cross thought that an extra guardian would be useful to have around, what with everyone on my tail, so she's gonna stick around for awhile. Take classes with us." Sukui nodded slowly, but turned to Yuuki and headed her way.

Zero and Sukui exchanged amused glances, looks like Yuuki'd come very conveniently, they'd just have to finish that up later, if either of them ever got the guts. But then Yuuki asked the biological Cross girl a question.

"Hey, aren't you going to change?"

"Eh, why would I? I can do tonight's patrol in _style._"

# # # #


	36. Getting To Know You

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Jane Catt belongs to Amaya haha oops, I mean Amaya belongs to Jane Catt. . .**

**Or do I?!**

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Haha so I lied, this isn't a full break. Oh well!**

**Happy New Years :D**

# # # #

**36. Getting To Know You**

The night dragged on for the four guardians, all kicking their feet and looking around on a very quiet night. It was a little chillier than normal, so it scared all the Day Class girls into their common room for some cocoa and movies. Sukui, being her usual obnoxious self (in Zero's well-founded opinion sometimes) let out a groan, "Sooooo bored!"

"Well what're we supposed to do?" Yuuki called from further down the terrace just above. "Yeah!" Amaya interceded from the grounds to the left of her, "We've got to pay attention or the Day Class girls might make their move." Sukui sighed, "I know, but we can at least do something to pass the time."

"What do you suggest?" Zero asked from the opposite end from Yuuki of the terrace. "How bout. . . Well, how bout questions. I'm kind of wondering about Master's daughter here. I haven't seen her in a good ten years."

"Well, I'll be willing to answer almost anything. Almost." Amaya called, and Sukui tapped her chin as she paced. She knew that Amaya had been placed with either the Kiryu's or a watcher family while Toga was out hunting, and she seemed really intelligent. She also knew, from hours earlier, that she was a hunter herself. So, she decided to go with the basic question, well for Hunters of course.

"What weapon do you carry Amaya?"

"My small black pistol, the Black Rose!"

"Hey, that's the sister weapon to your Bloody Rose right Zero?"

"Yeah." Zero responded curtly.

"What about you Sukui?" Amaya threw back afterwards.

"Oh," Sukui was a little thrown off guard, not many people asked. "Erm, well it's the Crossing Silver Angel. A dagger."

"That's interesting, how do you use such a short weapon for Level E's?"

"I either throw it or use it like I'm doing hand to hand combat, I'm more of an agility and pressure point sort of person." Sukui drawled, twiddling aforementioned dagger in her thumbs.

"Not many hunters I've met with that sort of technique."

Sukui nods, "I've only met people with guns, no one seems brave enough to use knives or katana." _Except Ichiru. . . But I haven't seen him since we was sobbing over Shizuka's body. _

Silence cast over the group again, and Sukui rolled her eyes at her failed attempt to create any sort of atmosphere. "Sukui." the aforementioned girl turned around and looked into Amaya's blue eyes with her monochrome-lavender eyes. "Hey, Amaya, what is it?" The taller girl sat next to Sukui, swinging her legs at the same timing she did after a few seconds of silence, "I have some information for you." she whispered.

Sukui's heart almost ceased beating. "About what?"

"Kaname and I are fairly close, and he's told me something interesting about the letters he gave you concerning your father, Cross."

"What about it?"

"Yuri? The person having mentioning "sealing" something within you is a pureblood vampire, and Juri Kuran's twin sister."

Sukui blinked in awe and shock at Amaya quickness to deliver the information, no softening, just blunt. That flash of amber . . . From when she'd read the letters blared to life in her vision again, and gave her a shredding headache. She sputtered, but breathed in and pretended that nothing had happened, even as Amaya looked at her in concern.

"What would Kaname's aunt want with me?"

Amaya sighed, "So much I wish I could say, but I am bound not too, I'm afraid." Sukui was near frustrated, but let in a deep breath. "What did Yuri seal within me? How'd she do it?"

"With her powers of course, her life. It's a risky spell. They wanted to keep your blood, the blood of the Hooded Woman, Cross, and your mother hidden from people like Shizuka, and other purebloods who wanted more power."

"Who is my mother, anyway." Sukui began slowly, "You know, don't you?"

"Proof of her is much closer than you think Sukui, all you have to do it look."

# # # #


	37. Satan's Pace

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone. **

**I decided to skip the 16****th**** episode because it really doesn't have anything to do with Yuuki, Sukui, and Zero. So here's episode 17! Title edited from episode name.**

# # # #

**37. Satan's Pace**

The events from yesterday frazzled Sukui, and in the morning she went to her father's with only one goal in mind, to have a long set down in a bubbly plethora of warm water and world ignorance. Flashes of amber, and a gentle voice saying, _"You'll see mommy soon." _had been littering her dreams that night, and it was infuriating. Why did Yuri Kuran seal her, what did she seal, and who the heck was Sukui's mother!

"Grawarr!"

"Oh, hello Sukui!"

Headmaster greeted his disgruntled daughter as she brushed past him at the front door of his home, and Zero and Yuuki both with separate bath things and towels, into the bathroom. Headmaster scratched the back of his head as sweat came down, and Zero's forehead vein puffed up at Sukui's abruptness. "Hey!" he called, knocking on the door, "I was going in there."

"Me too Sukui!"

Headmaster continued to scratch his head, not bothering to mention that all of them could have used the showers in their dorms.

In the bathroom, Sukui was popping some blood tablets before going inside of the closed off bath area and turning on the water, dumping in some bath salts and bubble soap. "Sorry Zero," she called out the door sincerely, "I just really, really need to calm down." The first bathroom door opened and Sukui shut the one to the closed off bathroom with a fierce _**whump!**_

"Zero! A little warning would have been nice!"

"I need to get stuff done! I'll be here if you need me."

That's all he said, and yet the flurry of butterflies shot through her. "Thank you. . ." she whispered, even though he had not intended to sound endearing in any sort of way.

She settled into the soapy suds, and could have sworn that the amber colors shouting through the air and clouding her vision were butterflies as well. Then a migraine ripped through her, as the voice said, _"Oh little Sukui Cross. . . ., you will be with mommy soon."_

"Oww. . ." she closed her eyes and clutched her head in pain and put her head between her exposed knees, trying to regulate her breathing. _"You will see . . . . Soon." _

What?!

"_You will see. . . . Soon"_

Sukui finally opened her eyes as the headache subsided, but then a new one came as a scream ripped out of her throat. In the bathtub, there was. . . She was sitting in . . . blood. "Sukui!" Zero and Yuuki both exclaimed worriedly, with only Yuuki coming into the little room. "Sukui are you o. . ." then she stopped and slid to the floor, clutching her head as well.

When her eyes snapped open, she screamed too and both her and Sukui exchanged alarmed and tearful gazes. They were both seeing the blood, everywhere, it was terrifying. "You guys! You guys!" Zero pounded on the door.

The next things were blurs for the two very afraid girls. Eventually, they were both on the couch in Headmaster's living room, Sukui being fully clothed but not knowing how, and with aforementioned man Cross standing in the doorway worried, and Zero kneeling in front of the both of them.

"What happened?"

Sukui laughed uncomfortably, she was going to have to lie. Its not like she could tell Zero about the flashes of things, could she? She looked to Yuuki, who smiled immediately, "I think we both just hallucinated." Yuuki deadpanned, scratching the back of her head. Sukui grimaced, so much for the hiding thing.

"Yeah. . . This voice kept telling me I'd be with mom soon."

"I kept seeing a lady in a white dress!"

Sukui and Yuuki looked at each other in a flurry, staring intently. "I saw flashes of amber."

"B-b-blood."

"So much blood. . ."

Cross's eyes narrowed from his position at the door frame and kicked off, striding up the two girls on the couch and kneeling just in front of it beside Zero. "I don't think they were hallucinations. They have something to do with both of your pasts, though more with Yuuki's than with yours, Sukui."

"I think I should take them to the Hunter's Association to see if they can find the records." Zero finally put in, looking at everyone evenly. Cross swallowed and asked, "Are you sure?"

Sukui and Yuuki nodded in Zero's place. "I need to know why these things keep haunting me. . ." they both said in perfect unison, and then they looked at each other. "This has been happening more than once?" Sukui asked the adopted Cross girl. She nodded, "It started at that ball not to long ago, the one with Shizuka."

Sukui looked in awe, those two had more in common with each other than anyone would have thought. So, the group of four (Cross was going to go strictly to watch his 'darling daughters') and even Yagari and Amaya, who'd come back from a hunt (apparently that's what they consider errands, Sukui should've figured.) headed out to the Hunter's Association, which Sukui knew was only about an hour travel from Cross Academy.

Walking through the familiar stone hallways reminded Sukui of the first, and the last day she'd even been to the place. Though, the last time was less than savory. She'd been trying to find Zero through the system, frantically but all of the records confirmed him dead, and that had been about five months after Shizuka had brutally ripped the rug out from under her.

The Association president was no more understanding of Sukui's frantic search for the male than Shizuka herself would be it seemed, so Sukui hadn't bothered telling them her location so that they could ask her to do missions, she'd been done with them then. Things were different though, when she strode towards the record library with the other four people beside her.

"Hello! Yagari's, Cross's, Minami, and Kiryu." the Head of the Vampire Hunters Association greeted, her fan in front of her mouth. "What brings you here?" To Yuuki's surprise, but to everyone else's knowledge, Cross answered the questionable woman before him, "We are here to look at some records regarding Sukui and Yuuki Cross."

"Ahh! I see, came out as her father. Good for you."

The President's snide comment earned a sharp glare from Sukui as she swear she saw Kaien twitch in shame. The President locked eyes with Sukui, and even though the girl only had one showing, what with her original Cross uniform back on after all of the trouble, it sure held a lot of malice.

"Well Yagari duo, and Cross trio. You know where the library is. I will be taking Zero to the uncategorized records, I have some valuable information to share." her words rang finally, and Yuuki, Kaien, Toga, and Amaya went to the library. Sukui stubbornly stayed with Zero, having an uneasy feeling rise in the pit of her stomach.

"Alone, Sukui." the President stressed. Earning yet another pointed glare from the girl. Zero sighed and looked at Sukui, who was frivolously trying to hide her concern, not that she knew or would even admit it. "It'll be fine, I'll meet you in the library, alright?" Sukui nodded, though reluctantly, "Alright you stubborn old guy," she tried for a smile, "Be careful."

He nodded simply.

Sukui left towards the library too, and was met with Yuuki pulling out several volumes of texts from sixteen years ago, Sukui figured she needed to start looked for records from eighteen years ago so she began. They were in a bookcase behind the one that Yuuki was looking through, and as she was flipping through the first, Amaya came to stand beside her and lean again the bookcase as Sukui read. "You know, they are going to be very hard to find, both of you girls records were hidden."

Sukui rose an eyebrow, "Why's that, Ama?"

Showing no sign of feeling for the nickname other than a quick small smile, she continued, "Both because they wanted you safe. You with the power, and little Yuuki with that and the stalker."

"Yuuki is being hunted?"

"Yes, by her Uncle." Amaya sighed. Sukui remembered Maria telling her the same thing, that she was being hunted by her uncle as well. . . Was there a connection?

In the pregnant silence that followed afterwards, Sukui looked through numerous volumes, until she reached the C's, of course they had been in alphabetical order, and she hadn't even bothered to think that way.

"Alright Amaya, here I go!" Sukui swallowed, being careful with the falling apart records. "Association sure likes to be a lot spookier than necessary." Amaya commented, and Sukui nodded in agreement as she began flipping through the pages gingerly, eye flitting up and down, reading every sentence and every paragraph before flipping the to the next page, it was a tedious process at best.

After scaling several pages, she found _her _page:

_Sukui Cross/(couldn't see, it was smudged)_

_Adopted by Sakura Minami at infancy for (more illegible writing) and in (illegible), Japan._

_Father: Kaien Cross - Vampire Hunter - 200 Years old_

_Mother: (Indiscernible smudge) - Pureblood - _(_more incoherent fades in writing)_

Sukui stared, and stared, and stared at the page. Amaya strode next to her, seeing as the girl was completely and utterly paralyzed. "Sukui? Are you alright?"

_Pureblood. Pureblood. Pureblood. _it seemed to chant over and over in her head as if the words had a mind of their own.

Is that what Yuri had sealed? _Pureblood. Pureblood. Pureblood. _What? _Pureblood. Pureblood. Pureblood. _But wait, Kaien wasn't a pureblood, just a vampire hunter totally loaded with vamp blood, did that make her a whole or a half of a pureblood? Oh her brain hurt, hurt so much at that though that she was even more of the thing that she despised above all else.

"I think I'm gonna be sick. . ."

"Sukui? Sukui!"

Amaya saw her tipping and reached for her, but she was a second too late.

The girl's legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor, the pages of the tattered and dated volume floating everywhere. Sukui's vision began to blur and she faintly heard Yuuki scream before she completely lost hold of reality.

# # # # __


	38. Square One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**I had Kaname and the others show up early, the day that Yuuki and Zero and etc. came back because I wanted too. Deal with it :D**

**I tease, on with the chapter!**

# # # #

**38. Square One**

Sukui woke up next to Yuuki and Zero, who had apparently taken her to her dorm room. Yuuki held a rose incased in a silver tipped, see through oval-diamond shaped glass container, bubbly liquid like jell-o holding it still and it immediately had the biological Cross girl's attention. "Woah, what's that?" Sukui asked, and Yuuki smiled to see the girl had woken up from her untimely and rather odd fainting. "It's a rose, incased in resin. . . It only blooms every ten years. Kaname gave it to me."

Sukui smiled and nudged the girl, "Ahhh, Yuuki's got a boyfriend!"

"Do not!"

They both giggled a bit, but then Yuuki went serious, along with a silent but worried Zero, "Why did you faint Sukui, is it because I scared you?"

"How would you have?"

"Well, my records burst into flames and I screamed. . ."

Sukui smiled plastically, fake, she was aware of why she fainted, and it made her very nervous indeed to tell her two friends. Knowing it might change their opinions of her in a heartbeat. "Sure, I would've jumped out of my skin, but I was headed down before your book spontaneously combusted."

"Well then, why?" Zero asked. Sukui hung her head, her throat burning from contained tears. Zero would hate her, she just knew it. And that broke her heart just thinking of it, but it was sure to be the truth the moment she told the two of them the news. He watched his entire families slaughter by the pureblood, not just his mother, and it was his _real _family.

"What is it Sukui."

"I know a little more about my mother. . ." she said softly, and Yuuki smiled, under the assumption, if only for a few seconds, like this information was a good thing. "Well?! What is it Sukui?" Sukui took a deep breath, and prepared for the worst. "I found out that . . . My mother is a pureblood vampire."

All shields were up, as Sukui prepared for the word lashing off a life time.

Nothing came, nothing.

She slowly opened her eyes, to see Yuuki staring at her in disbelief, and Zero wouldn't even look it her. Sukui's heart began sinking rather quickly, she would have preferred being yelled at to the complete silence that was permeating the room at the very instant. Sukui found herself overwhelmed, and began to cry. Biting her lip so hard to keep from sobbing out loud that she drew blood.

"Yuuki, I'd like to talk to Sukui alone."

Sukui's heart sank even further, it felt like it was beating in her stomach as Yuuki nodded. She gave a smile to Sukui and a quick hug, "You are like a sister to me. I don't care that your mom was pureblood." Sukui's breath caught, as if Yuuki had known exactly what to say, she did. The adopted Cross girl then left, leaving Kiryu and Sukui all alone.

Biological Cross licked up the blood she had spilt and sniffed quietly, as she heard some shuffling, and moved her head just enough that her curtain of hair fell from her eye, and she saw Zero kneeling just in front of her, staring at her with some extremely interesting emotion.

Concern. Still? Sukui figured that Zero would have glared at her and walked out.

"Why are you crying Sukui?" he asked gently. She was frozen, she hadn't expected this. She was so shocked and confused she barely knew what to do with herself, she just looked at him in awe.

"I thought you would. . ."

"Thought that I would what?"

Sukui swallowed, trying to restrain herself from sounding weak, she hated being vulnerable. Hated it. Yet there she was, being extremely vulnerable for the third time that week, and for the multiple time her entire stay at Cross Academy.

"Hate me, because my mothers a pureblood."

Zero smirked, "You think that's the only reason I hate you?"

Sukui twitched at the confession, so he did hate her. "Umm yeah. . ."

"Well you are wrong, there is much more."

Sukui said nothing, and neither did Zero. She could tell that he didn't mean _hate_ but she was confused. What did he mean? Hell she was such a girl!

Zero helped Sukui up from her bed, "Well there's still loads needed to be taken care of, so, let's go." Sukui nodded and they both left the room. Neither saying anything to each other. They were almost in the same position as things before the almost-kiss, and Sukui didn't like it at all. She was thinking that maybe, just maybe, Zero was more infuriated than he let on. By the set of his face, and the immovable expression that hadn't been all that immovable before, Sukui's heart sank. This was square one, maybe even further back.

_What the hell am I gonna do. . ._

# # # #

**DUN DUN DUN!**


	39. Underlings Snare Of Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**This will be a two episode mash up, well sort of, not all the way! 18 and 19. So the title's are mashed up too!**

**Oh and you get this chapter because it's. . . A-FLIPPIN'-SNOW-DAY! :D and you'll get one tomorrow too because it'll be. . . MY FLIPPIN' BIRTHDAY! XD So good for you guys, lots of chapters for you! YAY!**

# # # #

**39. Underlings Snare Of Love**

Sukui stood in Headmaster Cross's room, arms folded and waiting patiently. Apparently, Ichiru had gotten the okay from his brother to join Cross's Day Class permanently. So while Zero was off doing who knew what and Yuuki was off poking and prodding Kuran for information (because apparently he had been in her first memory). Sukui was waiting for the younger Kiryu twin to give him a proper tour of campus and maybe "make peace" as her father had hopefully proclaimed.

She laughed, she found it alarming how easily she'd gone from calling the crazy Headmaster stuff like "Kaien" and "That one insane moron who runs our school" to "Father" it was pretty nice actually, to not have to fight it. Not have to fight for _once_.

Ichiru came into the room, all suited up properly in the uniform and breaking the girl from her contemplative thoughts. His tie straight and jacket closed, so unlike his disheveled brother's uniform he appeared polite and nice like Sukui always knew him to be. His longer silver hair was tied with the bells that had cinched Shizuka's waist, and though that made Sukui want to hit him as hard in the face as she could, she smiled small and gave one of her old friends a wave.

"I'm going to take you on a tour today Ichi." she offered more than stated, also using Ichiru's nickname she had for him when they were kids to try and seem friendlier. Though she still felt very betrayed by the silver haired younger one, she was willing to forgive him, he'd been like a brother to her after all.

"Oh, thanks Sukui. How kind of you." his soft voice, no longer full of malice, just laced with sorrow and depression, nearly made Sukui stumble. He really did love Shizuka Hio, and from the extra hurt on his face, she had loved him back. For some reason, sympathy was beginning to take hold of the girl, but she shook it off. Shizuka deserved to be penalized. . . Though Ichiru didn't.

Sukui lead the very quiet boy through the halls, yard, and dorms of the entire school. Going on lengthy descriptions that Zero had given her the first day she'd gone to the school. Ichiru merely laughed shortly, but nothing else was done from him to Sukui. Along the way though, he interacted with other students as they were headed to the class Sukui was taking him too, and it seemed like they were taking quite a shine to him, way more than they had to Zero.

But then again, that wasn't hard for anyone but Sukui and Yuuki and Zero himself.

As the two entered the classroom, Ichiru went and took a seat at the top and to the left. Chatting idly with all of the students as he did so. He stopped Sukui though and ended his conversations, motioning for her to sit by him.

Weirded out just a bit, the elder Cross girl complied, sliding in next to the boy.

"Now that things aren't quite as bad between us," Ichiru smiled slightly, though awkwardly, "I was wondering, just how you and Zero are doing."

Sukui fought down her blush valiantly, but unfortunately, it failed. Epically.

"Well, erm. . ." She remembered the whole "I hate you for so much more than that" situation from the day before. She didn't know what was going to happen next, she didn't even know if there was going to _be_ a next.

Ichiru rose an eyebrow.

Then, class started. Yuuki and Zero didn't show up the whole time, and Sukui found herself worrying about them. When the class bell rang, she searched semi-frantically for them, managed to only find an irritable Zero.

"What's wrong?" Sukui asked him, the sun was setting and they were heading to their separate posts, Amaya already being at hers. Funny, Sukui never saw her in class. She must have been in another one.

"Just Kaname telling me that the only reason I am alive is to protect Yuuki and you."

Sukui rose an eyebrow, "Me?"

Zero nodded, eyes narrowed, "I don't know why he's so fascinated with you."

That reminded Sukui of the time that Takuma had asked her why Kaname was fascinated with her. It sure didn't seem like it, the only thing that the elder Cross girl noticed was that the pureblood had a huge infatuation regarding Yuuki Cross. Then there was Zero, who for the life of her she'd never understand. All of the events lately were pressing on Sukui's skull, birthing a migraine. Damn she needed a nap.

Some voices pricked at the duo's ears as they were within' a few feet of where they would be doing their patrols for crazy fan girls. Sukui held very still and tried her best to listen to the conversation. One voice was low, and full of an eloquence that no man could master. The other one was soft, though in this instant, slightly demanding and more than a little fearful.

Kaname and Yuuki.

Now what on Earth were they talking about at the center fountain? Sukui headed towards it, head tipped in concentration of listening. She was faintly aware of Zero's presence just behind her, and she waited eagerly for more words to come as she and the male hunter hid in the small thicket of red trees.

"Be my. . .

Lover."

Sukui nearly choked on the air that she had breathed in, Kaname was asking way more of Yuuki than she would have ever expected. Lover?! Like. . .

Sukui catapulted herself from the trees to slide in front of the then intertwined Yuuki and Kaname, "Woah there! Hold your freaking horses. You may have a million years, but she's a freaking teenager! I think you can wait!"

Zero strolled slowly over the exclaiming girls side, lip twitching slightly in amusement at the girl's antics but tugging quickly down at the sight of the two intertwined. When Sukui thought about it, she knew he would have been a little upset. He cared for the girl after all. It would bug her if the rolls were reversed.

Yuuki laughed lightly at her concern, but she smiled at Sukui, a bewildered look in her eyes. "It's alright Sukui, I've agreed."

"Lady Cross. . . Hmm. Guess I'll have to call you that now." Sukui muttered thoughtfully, trying to think of why shy little Yuuki would take such a huge step, she thought all she wanted was information on her past. . . Oh!

Yuuki must have agreed for the information. Clever, sly little Yuuki. What a dirty as hell way to get it though. . . Nah, Yuuki wouldn't do that. She's too sweet. . . Right?

Sukui nodded slightly after shaking herself out of her confusing, bustling thoughts, "Well cool, bout' time you got in a relationship. But now, if you don't mind, we've got crazy Day Class students to watch."

Yuuki nodded in agreement, getting an awkward hug from Kaname, and following the two hunters towards the round places.

# # # #

Sukui had been lounging around and zoning out in class the very next day, when Aido came in to get her, arising a clamor. "I need Sukui Cross to head to the infirmary." all of the girls shot daggers at her as she fled the classroom, Zero merely looked after in casual interest, but looked away as soon as the heterochromatic girl caught his eye. Sukui's eyes stung a bit at that. Shaking herself out of it, she could deal with it later, the girl then followed Hanabusa through the halls to the room she'd been in not long ago.

"What's going on Hanabusa?"

"Ichiru Kiryu tried to sneak Yuuki some blood."

"Me and several others of the Night Class students were assigned to Yuuki as guards, being as her and Kaname-sama are now lovers. She got hurt so. . ." the blond drawled, and that morning then made sense to her, that's why Yuuki hadn't come through her door with a smile and some chocolate breakfast muffins. Sukui nodded.

Sukui and Hanabusa walked into the infirmary, where Ichiru brushed past them, escorted by Atasuki. Yuuki was sitting up in the bed, looking a little confused and more than slightly afraid. "Why had he tried to get me to drink that blood?"

Sukui shrugged, "You got me, Aido just barely told me about it."

Yuuki turned to Aido, but he shrugged as well. The girl sighed, "There is way to much mystery going on for me."

Sukui snorted, though she smiled small in concern, "No need to tell me twice, Princess."

"Yu. . . I mean, Lady Cross, Kaname has requested lunch with you." Aido put in, just as the bell rang. Yuuki sighed and slid out from the covers, looking to Sukui for help. The girl nodded and followed steadily after the girl, to where Kaname and her would surely have lunch.

# # # #


	40. Reconcile

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**Second half of episode mash-up!**

# # # #

**40. Reconcile**

Sukui and Zero stood just outside of the small clearing were Yuuki and Kaname were having their luncheon. Thankfully, neither of them could hear the strange and infuriating speaking that was sure to ensue from the two. Things were awkward to be sure, Sukui couldn't stop wondering about what had happened.

"Sukui."

Sukui turned her head to her fellow hunter, her best friend, and cocked it to the side with a curious expression, "Yeah Zero?" her voice stumbled a bit, and she hated it. She hated feeling like she couldn't talk to him.

He shook his head, turning his attention to the front of him. "Nothing."

Sukui snorted, slightly infuriated, at which time Zero let out a short laugh. Which took her aback a bit. Did he find this tension funny? Did he find what he said funny? Gahhh, why couldn't she just peek inside his head and understand for once!

Once Kaname and Yuuki's little date was over, the trio headed towards class in hopes of retaining a little bit of normalcy. Yuuki sighed and explained how she had once again flaked out on asking Kaname about her past and Sukui shook her head in worry. This was going to take a lot of work.

And that wasn't even mentioning her troubled past, who was this pureblood mother of hers? Who was Yuri? Why the hell did Kaname have even an inkling of interest in the female vampire-vampire hunter? So many questions, along with her rather strange relationship with Zero. Sukui felt her head hurt just thinking of all of it.

Pushing it away though, she focused on her school work as it was placed in front of her.

# # # #

Sukui was needless to say, surprised when Ichiru was headed towards her fathers house. "Hey Ichi." she called, running beside him and keeping pace with him as he sideways glanced at her and kept walking, "What're you doing?"

"I'm going to help Cross make some vegetable soup for tonight's dinner I am coming to." Sukui rolled her eyes at the usual antics of the insane-o-in-the-brain-o Headmaster she had for a father but smiled, he was trying really hard to get the twins to reconcile. It was thoughtful. "I'll help you out, you know how good I am at that recipe."

The reminder of the past made Ichiru smile just a touch, "That sounds great, thank you." Sukui realized that she should have been irritated at the boy for him trying to give Yuuki some strange blood, she was tempted to ask, but didn't bother, it'd only destroy the precarious balance of happy that was going on.

Yuuki and Zero were controlling the Day Class crowds, and Sukui had left merely to pry the answers to the questions she'd been asking herself with her bare hands from her 'clueless' relative, but she supposed making a relaxing dinner and then berating him later would be good enough for her.

Sure enough it was rather entertaining to concoct a meal with Cross, he stunk at cooking, so they had to use the fire extinguisher multiple times. Ichiru found good humor in it though, and a slightly awkward calm had broken over all three of them, a silent truce that finally allowed everyone to ease up.

When Yuuki and Zero came in, tired and scratched up, they were happy to see all of the cooking going on. Even though Zero gave Ichiru a rather weary look, he sat down at the table, with Cross who'd been banned from the kitchen, and Yuuki while Ichiru and Sukui finished the vegetable soup.

"Bon appetite!"

Sukui declared happily, as Ichiru joined his brother and the others and Sukui administered the food. Soon enough, they were all sitting down and eating the soup, that Zero regarded happily, though the air between the two brothers was still very stale.

"So erm, Ichi, Zero, remember the time we shaved half of Kaito's head, and he chased us around the house with Nikki's meat cleaver?"

Zero and Ichiru both snickered, "How could I forget?" Ichiru asked, "It was so stupid, you shouldn't have taken Zero's dare." Zero snorted, "and you shouldn't have suggest the game! You knew I wanted payback from him for when he dyed my hair pink."

Sukui almost choked on her soup, "Oh gosh, that was the greatest week of my life."

The trio laughed, and soon Yuuki and Cross chimed in, and the tension broke and the laughter and conversation ensued.

Sukui cracked her knuckles, rather proud of herself as she dished out seconds and told the tales of more childhood memories that everyone could play in at, and for once, nothing climactically horrible happened.

After the dinner though was a whole other story. Yuuki had gone to help Amaya with the night watch, Cross had gone to fill out paper work, Ichiru went to bed, and it was just her and Zero working in the kitchen. The tension was driving her mad, and she felt as if one more thing were to happen and she would explode Sukui bits all over the freaking house.

"Hey Sukui, is anything wrong?" Zero asked rather tentatively, "You've been acting really. . ."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE BEEN ACTING REALLY STRANGE?!"

"Whoa, calm the hell down!" Zero ran a hand through his hair, breathing heavy. Sukui's "sudden" outburst had scared him enough to do that at least. "What the hell is your problem?!"

"What's my problem? MY problem?" Sukui laughed rather humorlessly, "You told me you hated me. That is just freaking totally a problem! DOUCHE." Sukui made a face at her insult, but she was so angry she almost didn't care. Almost.

Zero blinked at her a few times, but then, slowly but surely, he cracked a smile.

Sukui blinked in bewilderment, and was about to cuss him out again when he interrupted her. "Oh that's what your going on about eh?"

Sukui blinked again, "Uh yeah?"

"Well I don't hate you."

"Then why did you tell me you did!" she flailed her arms up and down, and was considering heading towards the medicine cabinet and rummaging for some migraine pills.

Zero rolled his eyes, "I never thought you'd be that thick Sukui." he sighed, "I don't hate you okay?" Sukui was confused, "Then . . . But . . . Huh?"

Zero smirked and snickered a bit, ruffling her hair, but saying nothing more. While Sukui was a puddle of confusion and irritation.

# # # #

**The reason I didn't let Ichiru get busted is because I have plans for him, many plans. And I am fulfilling my unanswered dream of Ichiru and Zero coming together again! They used to be thick as thieves! So BAM! Thanks to my story, they shall be again. :D **

**And yay! No more awkward. But still confusing. . . In fact, a lot more. . . Will Zero and Sukui ever suck it up and confess? Gosh! Maybe I shouldn't have made my character so freaking stubborn. Dang it. Ha :D thanks for reading!**


	41. Welcome To The Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**Okay now, this is a derailing from Zero and Yuuki and into the little world of Sukui, a.k.a. more of her past and other such things :D plus more Amaya. Who doesn't love that?**

**Then episode 20 will rear its head and all will be right with the world in chapter 42 and we'll get back on track! :D **

**Anyways, enjoy!**

# # # #

**41. Welcome To The Family **

_In a grand, white mansion, a tall woman strode down a red-carpeted hallway. Her hair was short, falling only to her shoulders, and her eyes were a stunning garnet color that could capture that heart of any man who looked into them. _

_She wore a small pointed hat, a black dress, and boots. Her black painted fingers, from the knuckle to the nail, twitched and fiddled, as she turned in the carpet and walked the other direction._

_She was pacing, obviously uneasy, and also just as obviously, very, very aggravated. "Yuri, you needn't walk in such a fussed manner." the voice was the only indication that the woman was not alone, and that something had gone down not long before this great pacing had began. One could hear the exasperation of the silence breaker in each syllable she uttered, as they floated around the room and into the void once more. _

_Yuri, the woman who had been so enraptured within her own thoughts that she jumped at the voice, growled indignantly. "I can't exactly calm down, you made love to a hunter! A vampire hunter!"_

_The woman sighed as she stared at Yuri and her fidgeting, her eyes the same as hers, only swathed with intense concern instead of anger. "You can't tell him, no matter what you think of _him_, you can't."_

"_I never said I was going to tell." hissed Yuri, jabbing a thumb at her chest, "I'm just unhappy with the repercussions. You know that Uncle is going to pick up on her scent and lunge for it the very moment that she's old enough? Maybe even sooner! He's demented! What do you plan to do? This mixture of blood. . ."_

_The longer haired duplicate of the very fiery woman let out a long sigh, "I'd come to you Yuri, because you know what to do."_

"_That spell is dangerous, it would take my life." the Kuran Princess growled at the white-dressed woman, her voice raising in volume at each vowel, "and you expect me to use it to seal your bastard child!" she was yelling now, her fury beyond contained. Her eyes were a vibrant crimson, fearful to say that least. Her canines sharp, and though she looked ready to leap she stopped at the next words uttered. _

"_Because you are my sister Yuri!"_

_Yuri's angry tirade fell short and stuttered to a halt, as the woman before her wavered with tears. "She's my daughter, she's got a good life ahead of her, I just need her safe until we - Kaien and I - can come out about our relationship, I can't do that if she's dead! You know very well that this spell will not kill you, because its not in your powers. I wouldn't ask this if I knew you'd die as well!"_

"_Please!"_

_Yuri Kuran sighed, and stepped forward, wrapping her elder sister in her arms. "Of course I will seal her. Though the spell is still dangerous, I might not ever be able to hear, see, or feel anything ever again. I don't have that much of her blood. Not like your child, who managed to steal it away because of you and that idiot hunter." she smiled softly as she spat out those last three words, brushing the hair from her sister's face._

"_But yes, I will seal her. For you, Juri."_

# # # #

"Sukui Cross! What're you doing here?"

"What does it look like Hanabusa? I am going to talk to your ring leader, I want answers, and I am not waiting another freaking day for them."

That bright day was being made interesting by our insane heroine, who was all geared up and ready for the day, plowing through exhausted Night Class students who were studying for a test they'd have to take.

The sun streamed through the windows, and they should have all been asleep, but hey, how could they have been? Even without the final due, they'd have an angry, thundering hunter to deal with. What with her opening and slamming of doors every time she reached one.

She was all but done with all of the crap, confusion, and drama that she'd had to put up with. She wasn't going to live with one more second of it. She'd get her answers if she had to wake up every damned bloodsucker in the whole world!

Hanabusa trotted after her fearfully, he wouldn't want her in Kaname's way if all he was going to end up doing was slap him, like he had a few times that year. . . But that was besides the point, the voices coming from the direction of Kaname-sama's office were far more urgent.

"No! I'm sorry Kaname, but I will not let you hurt Shiki, he's still in there!"

Sukui rose an eyebrow, "Takuma? What the hell is he doing?" and before Aido could stop the girl, the door was pushed open, and a Shiki stood behind Takuma, a Kaname poised and ready to fight, and a very fierce looking Amaya.

Sukui's one eye widened, "Well, what's goin' on here?"

All heads snapped in her direction, not to Hanabusa, who had hightailed it out of there as if his existence depended on it, which it probably did, and Shiki spoke.

"Why, if it isn't my long lost niece."

His red and blue eyes gleamed disgustingly, and a jagged sneer graced his lips. The voice coming from his mouth was not his own, nor was the soul speaking. Sukui, completely and utterly filled with disgust and nausea, did not know the soul, but felt as if she did, completely and utterly paralyzed in fear.

"Who are you."

"I am Rido Kuran. It's nice to finally see my little niece!"

_The hell? _

Sukui stuttered unconvincingly, "N-niece? You most certainly are not that shy ginger who's more emotionless than the stinkin' cyber men off of Doctor Who aren't you? Where's Shiki?"

Rido laughed, long and hard, "Oh? So darling. Not even addressing me with the proper respect. I am your Uncle girl. But, considering Yuri did seal you, you ought to have no recollection. It looks like we are going to have to do this the hard way."

_Uh. . . What? Am I missing something?_

"Now hold up? What do you mean?"

"Triggering your memory of course."

Much too quickly for Sukui to prevent it with a flick of her dagger, Rido was on Sukui, fangs headed towards her neck. Kaname intervened, fiercely ripping the creeper off of the girl. "I suggest you leave, Shiki." Kaname breathed slowly, for some reason calling the poor possessed kid by his name, "I have much to discuss with Sukui."

Sukui was flabbergasted, and as Takuma lead Shiki out of the room, tossing her a quick, "I so owe you one, sorry." look, she turned to the only other two in the room, Kaname and Amaya. "Holy shit." Sukui breathed, shaking like mad, the color having drained from her face, fear chorusing through her heart, "Holy shit. Who the hell was that!" she tried hard to seem more angry than scared, "Why did he call me niece! Rido Kuran right? And why the hell is he possessing Shiki? Who the frick are my parents! I need answers NOW!"

Sukui's tirade had built up, blew up, and quickly fizzled out. Just like that. Though she stood, glaring hard at Kaname and Amaya, who did nothing but stare at her. The silence was daunting, you could have heard a pin drop.

Finally, Kaname sighed, striding forward, he did the strangest thing that Sukui would have ever thought possible. "Well, there is only one thing to do that will really bring the truth out." and then. . .

He hugged her.

"HOLY FUUUU- LEGGO OF ME! LEMME GO! DON'T TOUCH ME YOU SON OF A- EW THIS IS FREAKING GROSS, YUCK! LET ME GO!"

Kaname released the scrabbling, screaming, and flailing Sukui. Wiping the sweat from his forehead comically. "The hell was that for you freaking creeper! Don't you ever do that ag. . ." she stopped yelling at Kaname when he had explained himself. She had seen his lips moving, but she had not heard the words. Sukui then cleaned out her ears with her pinkies and smiling snidely she asked, "Sorry, what was that again?"

"Sukui Cross-Kuran is your full name."

Sukui stared in disbelief, her lips twitching. A broad grin broke out onto her face, as she started laughing heartily. She even did things as ridiculous as slapping her knee, "Kuran, now is not the time or the place." she said dangerously, her eyes flickering a powerful blood red, "To. Make. Jokes."

"I am not joking, Sukui."

"Juri Kuran is your mother."

Sukui laughed again, still far from believing anything that the pureblood male said, "Oh please, how could. . ."

"Think about it, you stubborn girl." Kaname drawled, his voice edging into a fearsome sort of anger, that which Sukui had heard before, "In the record books it stated your mother was pureblood, Yuri Kuran sealed your powers, my mother's and yours twin sister, and risked her life in the process."

"Your father was sent to hunt and kill my mother many years ago, in that time they became friends, and obviously a little more. Face it, this explains everything you've dealt with. Shizuka's kidnapping, your blood, _everything_."

"There is no denying it now, we are kin!"

Sukui laughed for the third time, but this time around it was weak, feeble, stalling. Her eyes glazed over, and slowly she sank to her knees. Her voice left her lips cracked, "I'm. . . I'm a pureblood."

"You are one of the pureblood princess's. Biologically, it should be impossible, but your potent genes make it so."

Sukui sat still, completely paralyzed. Sadly, it did all make sense. It's like the final pieces of the puzzle were falling together. Amaya kneeled down besides the disquieted girl in an attempt to help her find solace, but she was far to lost.

It did all make sense.

Shizuka's kidnapping, it had been only for her blood. The blood that had stopped her from dieing from all of the anti-vampire weapons that had pierced her the day the unknown killer had taken her. That blood was a mixture of Fang, a 200 year old vampire hunter who made a stupid mistake within an ex-execution list's member, Juri Kuran. One of heirs of one of the most powerful pureblood families left.

The blood in her veins was that, along with the blood of the Hooded Woman, the creator of the entire Vampire Hunter race, that had been tied with the Kuran's for generations because of the progenitor's connection with her. It made sense, the whiteness of it. How she herself had survived a gunshot wound to they eye, how Zero himself seemed to have pulled from the depths of Level E by consuming it.

It explained how come Yuri Kuran, the woman in those letters, the woman in that dream Sukui had had last night was affiliated with her. It explained why Kaname was even remotely interested in her, it explained Amaya's shadiness on the subject, it explained Kaien's secretive parenting.

Sadly Kaname had been right, the explanation, it really did explain everything.

"I think I am going to be sick again." Sukui whispered, as her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped against an alarmed Amaya, unconscious.

# # # #

**BAM.**

**Maybe I should start a relief hotline, that bomb was much worse than all of the other ones. I'm gonna need some donations.**

**Oh and DOCTOR WHO REFERENCE. You don't get any virtual cookies for catching it because I gave it away, but you do get 2 amazing stories! **

**If you love Doctor Who, give Stuck and A Thousand Years by Summer Paramour (in my favorite Authors) a try. It is BEAUTIFUL.**

**Anyways! I can't tell you how long I have been waiting to write that part, by George. I've been so excited to completely and utterly just blow the minds of you poor, unsuspecting readers. Nice aren't I?**

**Anyways, hope you like the next chap. ;D **


	42. Barbed Embrace

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross-Kuran ;D and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**Episode 21! The title of aforementioned episode has been slightly modified so that it could be made into a unique title for my chapter, though at the same time, helping one to recognize the episode. . .**

**Blah.**

**Let's get to what you really came here for! **

**P.S.: I am sorry for disappearing off of the face of the earth! Oh and as a side note, this story MAY be on Hiatus for awhile. Amaya's involvement herein has some spoilers of Black Rose, wouldn't want any Jane Catt fans to get angry!**

**ON WITH THE SHOW.**

# # # #

**42. Barbed Embrace**

Sukui woke up rather groggily from what had to have been the worst sleep she had ever got in her entire life. She stretched, noticing the white-walled room that was the infirmary, and oddly enough, Yuuki in a bed next to her. Kaien was even there in between their beds, expression grim as he locked eyes with his only blood daughter.

"So you know."

Sukui could tell that he was afraid of what was going to happen now that she knew the truth that he had hid from her, which from Sukui made it painfully real once more, when she was just hoping she'd had a completely awful nightmare. Staring some blue-red heterochromatic creeper and a Kaname who liked to hug, yuck. Siblings or not, Sukui was going to have his head for that.

"Yeah, I know that Kaname is my half-brother, that Juri Kuran is my mother, that I am a mother-effing-pureblood princess, Rido Kuran is my stalking Uncle who wants me for my blood just like Shizuka did, and Zero is going to never speak to me again after all of this is over. I know it all." That last part, funnily enough, is what truly upset her. She had narrowly avoided his hatred the first time. . .

Kaien looked shocked at one of the very last sentences that his daughter had uttered, but he could tell by her downtrodden face that she thought that all hope was lost. "Sukui, you know that he wouldn't give up so easily?"

_Maybe its because my blood makes me even more of a pureblood than freaking Kaname himself, that's why. _

Sukui sighed, "It doesn't matter, why is Yuuki here?"

Headmaster Cross turned his attention to the unconscious girl to his left, "Kaname brought her in here, I believe its time for her and yours vampire side to be awakened."

Sukui blinked at the Headmaster for a bit, "Dafaq does Princess have to do with any of this?"

As soon as that sentence finished leaving Sukui, she knew the answer. That white dressed woman that Yuuki had mentioned had been in her dreams as well, in fact she had heard her name in there, Juri. Juri Kuran. Yuuki was connected to her too.

She was Yuuki's mother too.

Kaien must have seen the pieces fall together in the Cross-Kuran girl's mind as he merely said, "Yes, she is to be the pureblood queen. She's going to marry Kaname, and defeat Rido next to Amaya, as part of her blood contract and such."

"Dafaq?"

Kaien snorted, "Sukui honestly, you are so thick-headed. Didn't you notice in the letters between us that purebloods get married to their siblings? Juri was married to Haruka before she died. They were brother and sister."

Sukui shuddered, "Yuck, that's disgusting."

"Yeah, and to think that if you would have been full-blooded kin to Kaname, you would have been the one. . ."

"LA LA LA LA LA LA!"

Sukui had her hands over her ears, singing loudly and obnoxiously, "I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT~" Cross barked out a short laugh at that, despite the terse situation at hand. And as soon as Sukui calmed down, things got hardy and serious once more. "How do. . . We get all of our mojo back Pops? And was the spell that Yuri used on me the same on Juri used on Yuuki?"

Headmaster Cross nodded slowly, "Yes, the spell killed Juri brutally, there are rumors of Yuri being alive though."

Sukui shifted, remembering the dream she'd had, "Hey, I dreamt about her. Juri said she was a witch?"

Kaien smiled, "Well of sorts, witches don't really exist. A pureblood with more magic than anything, because of the Hooded Woman's blood is what she was, kind of like you, but to a much. . . Well crazier degree."

"Juri used to tell me all sorts of stories about her, she was really quiet the rebel." he smiled, "Kind of like you."

Sukui left a small smile slip past her lips as well, but her stomach was still gnawing at her. "You never answered how we'd awaken that part of us, Dad."

"Simple, Kaname is going to bite you."

# # # #

Sukui had left to her dorm room to rest there, the white of the infirmary having given her an extremely chaotic migraine. It was all too much in one sitting. "Cross Academy is a catalyst for all things hellish and suck-like." the girl hypothesized to herself. She sighed, turning onto her side so that she could look out her window on the left wall. Her room was at the top floor, very end of the building, the window facing out onto one of the random bridges in the strange, city like Academy that her father ran.

She was at first pleading for her life to anyone above who was listening that those furry black dots down there were nothing but her migraine making her see things. But after awhile, the pounding toned done quite a bit, and the dots became people. Knowing she would regret it, the former Minami crept slowly towards the window, just as who looked to be Kaname bit into who looked to be Yuuki's neck.

"Well shit."

# # # #

***Snort* Haha that last line was awesome to me.**

**Anyways, thank for reading, please review!**


	43. The Swirl Of Remembrance

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross-Kuran and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

**Episode title and content edited for the sake of this story. **

# # # #

**43. The Swirl Of Remembrance**

Sukui ran with all of her might to the place were Zero was kneeling, all alone in the waning light of the moon. He was on the cobblestone bridge that had been in direct sight of Sukui's window, and the sight of Yuuki's transformation. Sukui bit on her lip as she kneeled next to him, he was rigid, and she could tell this time there would be hell to pay.

"Zero. . ."

"You and Yuuki are his sisters."

Sukui swallowed at his abrupt statement, "Well, I'm his half-sister, Yuuki is his full-blooded sister, and soon-to-be bride."

Zero nodded, "I know." Sukui's heart shivered a little bit at his defeated and crestfallen look, it was obvious now how much he cared for Yuuki, painfully so.

"Come on Zero, there's a lot to do." she whispered, as the wind picked up, throwing a scent towards her nose that made her recoil in disgust. "There's another deranged pureblood here that needs taken care of."

"Sukui."

Sukui stopped, having stood tall and almost ready to turn and leave so that she could go confront Kaname, and her vampire half-sister Yuuki, and stop her evil Uncle Rido from . . . Well from what? She knew that he wanted her blood because of the power in it, and having met him she realized that he was a power hungry maniac, but why else?

Well she supposed it was because he was after Yuuki too, and she wanted to protect one of the best female friends she'd ever had. In all of the pondering that the Cross-Kuran girl had got herself twisted in, she didn't even notice Zero standing in front of her, his lavender eyes boring into her with an alarming intensity.

"You go at it alone okay? There is something I need to take care of." Zero whispered, and with an quick, alarming peck on the cheek for Sukui, he left. She didn't even have time to think of the whole hating situation. Zero flocked to heaven knew where, and Sukui had to swallow her pride, her hatred, her fear and go looked for Kaname and her newly, but not so newly, turned half-sister.

# # # #

Sukui felt weird, so weird when she saw them.

When she saw Yuuki.

The girl's hair had grown almost overnight (which it had…), she looked like an exact copy of their mother Juri. The breath caught in the pureblood vampire-hunters throat when she noticed that, and her eye gleamed with tears.

"Have you come to have your powers awakened?"

Sukui took a shaky breath and nodded, but instead of Kaname stepping forward, it was Yuuki. Sukui prayed up to whoever was listening in gratitude, she'd already been hugged by the creep, she was glad she'd been spared a biting.

"Sister," Yuuki smiled, with a voice that was her own but did not seem the same, her memories, they had changed her. Sukui swallowed, did she have anything to remember? She hoped not, she didn't want to change, not as drastically as her good friend had.

It was strange, when Yuuki's head cocked to the side and she sank her fangs into Sukui's neck. In that moment, when amber over took both of Sukui's eyes, and when small, fuzzy memories of Sukui as a toddler - 2 years and under - with Juri and Kaien, she realized that Yuuki wasn't a Cross anymore, she was a Kuran.

Yuuki Kuran.

Yuck, weird.

A strange burning rushed through Sukui, like something in her was - for lack of a better term - waking up. She didn't even realize that Yuuki had stopped drinking from her, as she clung to herself in pain, and shrieked. The pain was unbearable, it was like acid chorusing through her, if this was power, she wanted no part of it.

It didn't go easy, it set the poor girl to her knees. Her nails dug into her skull so hard she might have weakened the bone, the screaming so inhumane that no one had any doubts of what she was. The Day Class students, kept in their dorms for safety, scuttled and scattered in fear.

Sukui panted hard, the process ended, and her strange blood patch up any injury that had currently been on her person. Yuuki looked down mercilessly, but with a smile, a carbon copy of Kaname was what ran through Sukui's mind. "Yuuki," Sukui spoke slowly, after rising to her feet and looking her dead in the eyes, "Where are you?"

Yuuki blinked curiously, smiling a little wider, though just as cold. "Whatever do you mean? I am right here, Sukui."

"Not the Yuuki I know." Sukui looked at her coolly.

A flicker of her went through the girl's eyes, but nothing, nothing broke her composure.

"Well my darling sister, the Yuuki you knew. . ." the coldest, most cruel smile adorned the girl's face, "Was consumed by me."

Sukui's whole being was filled with hatred for what she was, even Zero wouldn't hate her as much as she herself did that very moment. She gave Yuuki a hard glare and left, left as quick as she could. She wanted no part of it anymore, that was the last straw. The very last straw. She wasn't going to stay there and deal with it anymore.

She was going to run away again.

# # # #

**Please don't eat me! You wouldn't believe how busy I was!**

**Point is - I'm back! Missed you guys :D and thanks to all the new people, you guys made me so very happy.**

**Till next time!**


	44. Need

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight. I wish I did though, Zero is so freaking awesome. Anyways! I own the OC's Sukui Cross-Kuran and Yuri Kuran. Amaya is Jane Catt's and Jane Catt's alone.**

# # # #

**44. Need**

Sukui was in her dorm, packing as quickly as she could. She wasn't going to stay in that hell hole another minute if she could help it. Sukui always thought herself to be tough, to be able to handle all of the shit that was thrown at her. But not this. . . Anything but this.

She was crying pretty hard, tears streaming, hair knotted and messy, hurting herself on furniture that she would run into as she was getting ready to leave. Damn, she thought she'd finally found a home again. She fell for it! Damn it . . .Damn it!

In the back of her head, where her stubborn pride laid, it was yelling at her for being a baby. For up and leaving Zero and her father. Just because her sister was a little messed up and she was related to Kaname. Just because life was hard, like it was supposed to be. Sukui wanted to give in to her pride and stick it out, but she was too scared. She was too damn scared.

A rapid and rather frightening knocking was at her door and she jumped, fearing it was Yuuki, or Kaname. She should have packed quicker! "Get the hell away!" she squealed. "I want no part of this Yuuki!"

"It's not Yuuki, let me in!"

Amaya's voice chorused through the door, and Sukui jumped over her bed to answer the door. The black haired, blue eyed girl staggered into the room, out of breath and beyond flustered.

"Amaya?! What the hell is it!"

"I cannot find anyone anywhere and Rido's body is up and walking around! The students are in a panic, Ichiru's a big-fat-traitor pants, and Zero's gone!"

Though Sukui's eyebrow quirked up at the Ichiru statement, her heart flared in alarm. "Oh no. We've got to find him!"

"To hell we do! We've gotta stop. . ." Amaya paused, eyes zeroing in on the duffel bag that was haphazardly tilted on the torn apart bed. The room was in the sorriest state ever, and she acknowledged it all before looking at Sukui, cold with disappointment. "You were going to leave."

"Ama. . ."

"Don't you _dare _Ama, me." the Yagari girl uttered darkly, "You've lost the right."

Sukui hung her head in shame, "Yes, yes I was."

"Now I understand this has been a shocking and rather difficult time Sukui, I can understand." Amaya nodded earnestly, "In fact, we'll talk about it sometime. But Sukui, Zero needs you."

"Amaya."

"You can't tell me he doesn't Sukui, Yuuki's gone basically mad, you're his best friend and he needs you. Or he'll do something stupid. Like try and get himself killed."

Sukui nodded slowly, but then her heart filled with icy dread and she went pale. Amaya rose an eyebrow, "Sukui?"

"We need to find him now!" Sukui catapulted out of the door, grabbing Amaya by the hand and slamming the door behind her. The Yagari girl smiled and kept pace with her and they tore as quick as they could out of the dorm rooms.

# # # #

**Short I know, but the next chap will be a bit longer!**


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